UC-NRLF 


COLONEL  JOHN  T.  SMITH. 


A  HISTORY 


OF   THE 


Thirty-First  Regiment  of  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry 


IN   THE 


WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION 


BY 

JOHN  THOMAS  SMITH 

h 

The  Third  Colonel  of  Regiment 

WHO  WAS  WITH  THE  COMMAND  THREE  YEARS  AND  SEVEN  MONTHS 


PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  AUTHOR  BY  THE 

WESTERN  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 

220  WEST  FOURTH  STREET,  CINCINNATI 

1900 


-  5 


Betitcatton 


TO  MY  COMRADES,  LIVING  OR  DECEASED; 
TO  THEIR  MOTHERS  AND  WIVES,  WHO 
WILLINGLY  MADE  SUCH  GREAT  SACRIFICE 
DURING  THE  WAR;  TO  THEIR  SONS  AND 
DAUGHTERS,  WITH  RECOLLECTIONS  OF 
GRATITUDE  TO  THE  RULER  OF  NATIONS, 
THIS  VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED,  -v  -v  -v  -v 
MAY  ITS  INFLUENCE  LEAD  TO  LOYALTY, 
BOTH  TO  COUNTRY  AND  CREATOR!  .v  .v 


PREFACE. 


THE  fair  and  honorable  fame  of  all  those  Indiana  soldiers, 
or  those  connected  in  any  way  with  them  in  their  efforts 
to  suppress  the  rebellion,  is  a  treasure  committed  to  our  com 
mon  trust,  in  which  all  should  feel  a  deep  and  abiding  interest. 
It  was  after  months  of  hesitation,  and  after  the  duty  had  been 
laid  on  us  by  the  survivors  of  the  regiment,  that  we  undertook 
to  compile  the  transactions  of  the  Thirty-first  Regiment  of  Indi 
ana  Volunteers  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  Even  at  the  time 
it  would  have  been  next  to  impossible  to  have  written  an  ac 
count  that  would  have  given  equal  and  exact  justice  to  each 
one  concerned,  and  how  much  more  difficult  after  the  lapse  of 
thirty  years!  The  work  will  be  found  lacking  in  many  re 
spects,  and  incomplete;  yet  in  regard  to  dates,  and  the  in 
cidents  related,  we  flatter  ourselves  that  it  will  be  found  sub 
stantially  correct.  The  survivors  of  the  several  companies  of  the 
regiment  had  appointed  company  historians  and  an  advisory 
committee,  some  of  whom  have  been  of  material  service,  while 
others,  who  were  doubtless  equally  willing,  have  been  so  far 
away  that  anything  like  a  personal  interATiew  could  not  be  had. 
To  George  W.  Miller,  of  Company  I,  and  who  is  Secretary  of 
the  Veteran  Association  of  Old  Soldiers  at  Terre  Haute,  I  am 
greatly  indebted  for  various  favors.  To  Henry  E.  Wyeth,  of 
Company  C,  and  who  was  Commissary  Sergeant,  and  who  was 
commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  of  his  company,  I  am  indebted 
for  the  use  of  his  historical  sketch  of  his  company.  I  arn 
also  indebted  to  W.  H.  Nelson,  of  Independence,  Kansas,  late 
of  Company  B,  for  the  use  of  Regimental  Historical  Chart. 
But  to  Gilbert  Listen,  of  Coffee,  Indiana,  and  who  was  First 
Sergeant  of  Company  F,  I  am  under  the  greatest  obligations 
for  the  use  of  his  diary,  which  he  had  faithfully  kept  during 
his  three  years'  term  of  service,  and  for  his  compilation  of  the 

7 


8  Preface. 

diary  of  Alonzo  B.  Stark,  musician  of  Company  F,  who  veteran 
ized  and  went  through  the  entire  war.  To  my  comrade  and  life 
long  friend,  General  Thomas  A.  McISTaught,  of  Spencer,  In 
diana,  I  am  indebted  for  access  to,  and  the  free  use  of,  the 
Official  Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies  of  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  And  to  many  others,  who  were  members 
of  the  regiment,  for  various  favors.  We  send  out  the  work 
with  greetings  to  the  survivors  of  the  regiment  and  their  friends, 
and  to  all  comrades  of  Indiana  regiments,  hoping  that  it  will, 
at  least  in  some  degree,  contribute  to  the  perpetuation  of  the 
memory  of  deceased  comrades  and  of  the  sacrifices  and  noble 
deeds  of  all  connected  with  the  command.  For  the  various 
omissions  and  defects  of  the  work  we  ask  considerate  indulgence. 

JOHN  T.  SMITH. 
BOWLING  GREEN,  1899. 


A  History  of  the  Thirty-First  Regiment  of 

Indiana  Volunteers  in  the  War 

of  the  Rebellion. 


THE  Thirty-first  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry  was 
recruited  in  what  was  then  the  Seventh  Congressional  Dis 
trict  of  the  State  of  Indiana.  Company  A  was  recruited  in  the 
northwest  part  of  Parke  County  and  the  adjoining  territory  of 
Fountain.  Company  B  was  from  Owen  County.  Company  C 
was  recruited  from  Terre  Haute,  the  eastern  part  of  Vigo,  and 
adjoining  territory  of  Clay.  Company  D  was  from  Sullivan 
County,  and  Companies  E  and  K  were  from  Terre  Haute  and 
Vigo  County.  Company  F  was  recruited  mainly  in  the  vicinity 
of  Jasonville,  Coffee,  and  Hymera,  in  the  counties  of  Greene, 
Clay,  and  Sullivan.  Company  G  came  from  Monroe  County, 
and  Company  H  from  the  eastern  part  of  Greene  County.  Com 
pany  I  came  from  Rockville  and  the  vicinity  north  of  that 
place,  in  Parke  County.  The  several  companies  went  into  camp 
north  of  the  city  of  Terre  Haute,  during  the  month  of  August, 
1861.  The  camp  was  known  as  Camp  Vigo.  The  regiment 
was  composed  largely  of  men  from  country  life,  a  majority  being 
farmers,  and  most  of  the  rest  were  known  as  laboring  men. 
They  were,  generally,  men  in  the  prime  of  life  and  in  good 
financial  circumstances.  There  was  a  manifest  indifference  in 
regard  to  positions  or  promotion  in  the  regiment,  and  yet  there 
were  more  promotions  in  this  than  any  other  infantry  regiment 
that  went  into  the  service  from  this  State.  The  volunteers  were 


10  77/r   Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

received  by  the  citizens  -of  Terre  Haute  with  great  kindness, 
and  every  possible  convenience  and  favor  was  granted.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service  on  the  15th  day  of 
September,  1861,  to  date  from  September  5,  1861.  On  the 
21st  of  September  Companies  A,  C,  E,  I,  and  K  left  by  rail 
for  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  on  Sunday,  the  22d,  drew  their 
arms  and  tents.  The  night  following  Companies  A  and  K 
ascended  Green  River,  Kentucky,  to  the  first  locks,  and  took 
possession  of  the  little  town  of  Spottsville,  then  threatened  by 
the  enemy,  being  the  first-  Union  troops  to  take  possession  in 
that  part  of  the  country. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1861,  Companies  C,  E,  and  I 
went  on  board  the  steamer  Mattie  Cook,  and  ascended  Green 
River  to  the  second  locks,  eighty  miles,  and  took  posssession  of 
the  town  of  Romney,  remained  long  enough  to  bring  away  a 
cargo  of  tobacco,  found  no  enemy,  and  returned  to  Evansville. 
On  the  28th  of  September  was  again  sent  up  the  river  to  Spotts 
ville,  remained  until  October  6th,  when  Companies  B,  D,  F,  G, 
and  H  left  Terre  Haute,  and  came  to  Evansville,  and  the  whole 
regiment  moved  to  Henderson,  Kentucky,  arriving  there  on 
the  6th  of  October,  1861.  The  regiment  remained  at  Hender 
son,  drilling  and  protecting  recruiting  for  Kentucky  regiments, 
until  the  1st  of  November,  1861,  when  it  moved  to  Calhoun, 
Kentucky.  We  remained  here  in  camp  at  Calhoun  until  Jan 
uary  15,  1862,  and  here  we  were  thoroughly  drilled.  While 
here  we  were  assailed  with  disease.  Measles,  mumps,  malarial 
fever,  and  rheumatism  were,  in  a  manner,  epidemic,  and  many 
fell  victims.  While  here  at  Calhoun  we  became  a  part  of  Gen 
eral  T.  L.  Crittenden's  division  of  Buell's  Army.  The  15th 
of  January,  1862,  we  were  ordered  to  South  Carrollton,  still 
further  up  the  river.  We  arrived  at  South  Carrollton  just  in 
time  to  be  a  few  hours  in  advance  of  a  force  of  the  enemy  which 
intended  to  occupy  the  place.  But,  on  learning  that  we  were 
there,  they  graciously  decided  to  not  come  in.  We  remained 
here  two  weeks,  and  made  some  formidable  breastworks,  and  de 
stroyed  a  vast  amount  of  timber,  much  of  which  was  valuable. 
We  returned  to  Calhoun,  and  remained  there  until  February  9, 


In  ike  War  of  ike  Rebellion.  11 

1862,  when  we  embarked  on  board  the  steamer  Ben  J.  Adams, 
and  arrived  nt  Pnducali  on  the  night  of  Feburary  10th,  and  the 
next  morning  headed  towards  Fort  Henry,  up  the  Tennessee 
River;  but  returned  without  disembarking,  the  fort  having  been 
taken  the  day  before.  We  then  ascended  the  Cumberland  River, 
and  arrived  'near  Fort  Donelson  on  the  morning  of  February 
14,  1862. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  FORT  DONELSON. 

We  landed,  on  the  14th  day  of  February,  1862,  a  few  miles 
below  the  fort,  and  marched'  about  six  miles,  halting,  just  after 
dark,  a  short  distance,  nearly  south  of  Dover.  The  ground 
was  thoroughly  saturated.  We  stacked  arms,  and  received  orders 
to  keep  on  our  accouterments  and  build  no  fires.  That  night 
it  rained,  sleeted,  and  snowed,  and  it  was  disagreeably  cold.  The 
next  morning,  the  15th  inst.,  the  entire  brigade  moved,  by  the 
flank,  towards  the  east,  with  a  view  of  extending  the  line  of 
battle,  from  the  right  of  McClernand's  division,  around  to  the 
river  above  Dover,  to  make  the  investment  of  the  town  and  fort 
complete.  The  brigade  consisted  of  the  Thirty-first  Indiana,  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  John  Osborn  commanding;  the  Seventeenth  Ken 
tucky,  Colonel  John  II.  McHenry;  the  Forty-fourth  Indiana, 
Colonel  Hugh  B.  Reed;  and  the  Twenty-fifth  Kentucky,  Colonel 
James  M.  Shackelford;  and  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Charles 
Cruft,  of  the  Thirty-first  Indiana,  it  being  the  First  Brigade, 
Third  Division,  commanded  by  General  Lew  Wallace.  The 
Twenty-fifth  Kentucky  was  in  the  advance,  followed  by  the 
Thirty-first  Indiana,  the  Seventeenth  Kentucky,  and  the  Forty- 
fourth  Indiana.  The  two  regiments  in  front  had  passed  the 
extreme  right  of  General  McCJernand's  line;  the  Thirty-first, 
crossing  a  narrow  valley,  where  the  head  of  the  column  had 
gained  the  top  of  the  ridge,  when  they  discovered  heavy  lines 
of  the  enemy  immediately  in  their  front,  and  but  a  few  paces 
distant,  extending  off  to  the  south  and  to  our  right  as  far  as 
could  be  seen.  The  fact  was,  the  brigade  had  been  led  into  a 
pocket,  and,  if  it  had  been  later  in  the  war,  but  comparatively 
few  would  have  escaped.  But  then,  later  in  the  war  we  would 


12  7'///    Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

not  have  gone  in  there  in  the  way  we  did.  No  blame,  however, 
attaches  to  the  brigade  Commander,  for  a  guide  had  been  sent 
to  him  to  put  the  brigade  in  position.  The  best  thing  the 
Twenty-fifth  Kentucky  could  do  was  to  get  out  of  there  in  a 
hurry,  which  they  did.  Colonel  Osborn  was  far  enough  up  the 
hill  to  see  and  take  in  the  situation,  and  would,  probably,  have 
taken  the  Thirty-first  out  in  good  order,  but  his  horse  just  then 
became  unmanageable,  and,  the  Colonel  dismounting,  the  horse 
got  away.  The  Thirty-first  had  received  orders,  previous  to  this, 
to  follow  the  Twenty-fifth  Kentucky,  and  orders  were  never 
more  promptly  obeyed.  The  rear  of  the  regiment  being  in  the 
valley,  it  could  not  see,  and  had  not  seen  anything  yet,  and  it 
was  at  a  loss  to  know  the  cause  of  this  sudden  change  of  direc 
tion.  Company  F  was  the  third  company  from  the  rear,  and  was 
on  the  lowest  ground.  The  Captain,  seeing  if  it  remained  on 
its  feet  it  would  surely  be  carried  away,  gave  command  to  lie 
down,  which  it  did,  and  remained  until  all  the  troops  had  gone 
back  over  the  ridge  out  of  sight.  By  this  time  the  Confederates 
advanced  their  line  to  the  top  of  the  ridge  in  front,  and  Com 
pany -F  realized  that  it  was  left.  It  was  not  long,  however,  in 
getting  back  to  the  top  of  a  ridge  in  the  rear,  deployed  as  skir 
mishers,  and  the  firing  commenced,  and  this  was  the  first  firing 
done  on  that  part  of  the  line.  It  was  but  a  few  minutes  until 
the  division  was  brought  up  and  put  in  position  on  this  ridge, 
which,  General  Lew  "Wallace  afterwards  said,  proved  to  be  the 
key  to  the  situation.  The  campaign  against  Fort  Donelson, 
the  reduction  of  the  fort,  the  capture  of  about  14,000  prisoners 
and  their  munitions  of  war  by  troops  who,  with  very  few  ex 
ceptions,  had  never  been  under  fire,  and  with  officers  who,  in 
the  main,  had  had  very  little,  if  any,  practical  experience,-  all 
go  to  make  a  chapter  that  does  not  suffer  in  comparison  with 
any  other  chapter  in  the  world's  history.-  The  Thirty-first 
Regiment  lost,  in  this  engagement,  nine  enlisted  men  killed; 
eight  officers  and  forty-four  enlisted  men  wounded;  total  loss, 
sixty-one.  But  if  there  was  a  man  in  the  command  that  passed 
through  that  battle,  and  the  exposure  incident  thereto,  that 
did  not  have  his  health  broken  and  constitution  impaired,  we 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  18 

failed  to  make  his  acquaintance.  To  make  the  history  of  events 
more  complete  we  give  the  report  of  the  Brigade  and  Regimental 
Commanders: 

REPORT  OF  COLONEL  CHARLES  CRUFT, 
THIRTY-FIRST  INDIANA  INFANTRY,  COMMANDING  FIRST  BRIGADK. 

HEADQUARTERS  FIRST  BRIGADE  THIRD  Div.,  DEPT.  WEST  TENNESSEE,  j 

FORT  HENRY,  February  18,  1862.        \ 

I  have  the  honor  to  report  to  you  the  part  taken  in  the  re 
duction  of  Fort  Donelson  and  the  fortifications  near  Dover, 
Tennessee,  on  the  15th  inst.,  by  the  First  Brigade  of  your  di 
vision.  The  brigade  was  composed  of  the  Thirty-first  Indiana 
Volunteers,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Osborn  temporarily  command 
ing;  Twenty-fifth  Kentucky  Volunteers,  Colonel  James  M. 
Shackelford;  eight  companies  of  the  Forty-fourth  Indiana  Volun 
teers,  Colonel  Hugh  B.  Reed;  and  the  Seventeenth  Kentucky 
Volunteers,  Colonel  John  H.  McHenry. 

At  8.30  o'clock  A.  M.,  General  Wallace's  order  was  received 
to  put  the  brigade  in  rapid  motion  to  the  extreme  right  of  our 
line,  for  the  purpose  of  re-enforcing  General  McClernard's  di 
vision.  It  was  speedily  moved  forward  in  column  of  companies, 
the  Twenty-fifth  Kentucky  in  advance,  followed  by  the  Thirty- 
first  Indiana,  the  Seventeenth  Kentucky,  and  the  Forty-fourth 
Indiana.  An  order  to  halt  the  column  at  a  point  indicated  for 
the  formation  of  the  regiments  in  line  was  not  executed  by  the 
advance,  owing  to  the  pressing  request  of  a  messenger  from  one 
of  the  Illinois  regiments,  then  to  the  right,  to  hurry  forward 
and  engage  the  enemy.  The  guide  sent  with  the  head  of  the 
column  here  shamefully  abandoned  it,  not,  however,  until  he 
had  given  Colonel  Shackelford  an  improper  instruction.  After 
passing  Taylor's  Battery  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy's  in- 
trenchments,  and  entering  the  woods  just  beyond,  the  head 
of  the  column  became  suddenly  engaged  with  a  superior  force 
of  the  enemy  in  front  and  to  the  right.  This  appeared  to  be  a 
force  that  was  endeavoring  to  outflank  the  battery  and  the'  line 
of  infantry  supporting  it,  and  pass  into  the  ravine  behind.  A 
well-directed  fire  was  opened  on  the  Twenty-fifth  Kentucky  and 


14  The  Thirty -first  Indiana  Regiment 

Thirty-first  Indiana  before  they  could  form  to  resist  it.  The 
line  of  battle,  however,  was  formed  rapidly  and  steadily  under 
continued  volleys  of  the  enemy's  musketry.  The  Seventeenth 
Kentucky  and  Forty-fourth  Indiana  were  shortly  brought  up  in 
good  order,  and  entered  the  action.  The  enemy's  fire  upon  the 
right  continued  to  be  very  severe,  and  this  assault  was  pressed 
up  to  within  twenty  feet  of  our  lines.  It  continued  for  some 
minutes  with  much  fury,  and  was  replied  to  with  effect  by  our 
men.  I  was  then  at  the  left  of  the  line.  At  this  juncture  it 
was  reported  to  me  that  two  officers  from  other  regiments,  then 
on  the  right,  came  up,  and,  without  consulting  the  Colonel  of 
the  Twenty-fifth  Kentucky,  ordered  his  men  forward  down  the 
enemy's  line.  They  pressed  down  under  a  heavy  volley,  and 
again  opened  their  fire.  While  thus  fighting,  officers  from  the 
other  regiments  then  at  the  right  rode  up  and  ordered  the 
Twenty-fifth  Kentucky  to  cease  firing,  and  it  accordingly  did. 
Almost  simultaneously  with  this,  troops  from  the  other  brigade 
at  the  right  retreated  in  confusion,  and  some  of  them,  passing 
obliquely  against  my  line,  broke  through  it,  disconnecting  a 
portion  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Kentucky  with  Colonel  Shackelford 
and  his  associate  field  and  staff  officers,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Osbom,  of  the  Thirty-first  Indiana,  with  a  few  of  the  privates 
of  his  command. 

The  brigade  was  now  left  without  support,  occupying  the 
extreme  right  of  the  line  of  investment,  and  in  advance  of  it 
half  a  mile.  It  was  ordered  to  fall  back  in  line,  and  occupy  the 
slope  of  the  hill  a  few  hundred  feet  in  rear  of  the  point  of  at 
tack.  The  movement  was  accomplished  in  good  order.  This 
brought  the  Forty-fourth  Indiana  in  line  on  the  left.  A  mes 
sage  was  now  received  from  one  of  the  Illinois  regiments,  re 
questing  that  the  left  should  not  fire.  '  This  message  was  re 
garded,  and  the  Forty-fourth  Indiana  was  ordered  to  reserve 
their  fire  till  ordered.  In  the  meantime,  a  heavy  fire  was 
poured  into  the  regiment  by  the  enemy.  The  line  was  here 
twice  attacked,  and  the  enemy  was  each  time  repulsed.  From 
this  position  an  effective  charge  was  made,  forcing  the  enemy 
to  retire  some  distance.  An  attempt  was  now  made  to  outflank 


///  ///<'  ir<7/*  of  the  Rebellion.  15 

my  line  on  the  right.  It  was  continually  worked1  to  our  right, 
however,  to  resist  this.  A  company  of  the  Thirty-first  Indiana 
was  detailed  as  skirmishers  on  the  right,  in  the  bushes  beyond. 
The  fight  was  still  progressing,  but  at  this  time  the  regiment  to 
our  left,  supporting  the  battery,  gave  way  (from  want  of  ammu 
nition,  as  was  said),  and  a  portion  rushed  into  our  rear,  creating 
some  confusion  in  the  Forty-fourth  Indiana,  carrying  with  them 
some  men  of  that  regiment,  and  exposing  it  to  the  flanking  fire 
of  the  enemy,  who  appeared,  at  that  point,  with  considerable 
force  of  both  cavalry  and  infantry.  It  was  ordered  to  return  the 
fire,  and  soon  repulsed  the  enemy.  The  whole  brigade  was 
now  moved  in  line  to  the  rear,  in  complete  order,  and  occupied 
a  better  position  on  a  commanding  ridge  in  front  of  the  enemv. 
An  ineffectual  advance  was  again  made  by  the  enemy,  which 
was  repulsed,  and  the  firing  ceased,  except  some  skirmishing 
between  a  small  detail  of  men  sent  to  the  front  and  the  enemy's 
sharpshooters.  Here  the  enemy  drew  off,  leaving  us  in  pos 
session  of  the  ground,  and  commenced  retreating  to  the  right, 
pursuing  the  woods,  at  times  in  sight,  to  a  ridge  across  a  large 
ravine  about  half  a  mile  to  our  right  and  rear  of  us,  and  endan 
gered  the  hospital  buildings  in  our  rear,  to  which  our  wounded 
had  been  conveyed. 

The  firing  had  now  ceased' on  all  sides.  It  being  impossible 
to  communicate  with  General  Wallace  or  get  dispatches  to  him, 
and  information  being  casually  received  that  the  main  line  had 
been  es;ablished  further  back,  it  was  deemed  prudbnt  to  retire 
to  it.  This  was  accordingly  done,  and  the  brigade  was  formed 
in  column,  and  marched  to  the  high  ground  just  north  of  the 
hospital  buildings,  with  a  view  to  protect  them,  to  form  part 
of  the  main  line,  and  to  watch  the  enemy  on  our  right.  Upon 
communicating  with  the  General  commanding  division,  the 
position  was  regarded  by  him  as  well  taken,  and  the  order  given 
to  hold  it  all  hazards.  Here  the  men  rested  on  their  arms  for 
some  time,  having  been  hotly  engaged  with  the  enemy  at  inter 
vals  for  more  than  three  hours.  This  concluded  our  engage 
ment  of  the  morning. 

The  brigade  remained  in  position  on  the  extreme  right  (a 


Itf  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

short  distance  from  Colonel  Thayer's  Brigade),  in  view  of  the 
enemy  during  the  subsequent  action,  at  the  center,  holding  him 
in  check,  and  protecting  the  hospital.  During  the  engagement 
at  the  center  a  volley  was  fired  on  the  hospital  by  the  enemy's 
sharpshooters  from  the  hills  to  the  right,  and,  but  for  the  pres 
ence  of  the  brigade,  it  would  doubtless  have  been  taken.  In 
this  position  valuable  information  was  obtained  as  to  the  enemy's 
movements  on  the  right.  Prom  this  point  dispatches  were  sent, 
and  here,  subsequently,  General  Wallace  met  me.  The  ground 
on  which  the  action  occurred  is  a  succession  of  hills  and  ravines, 
covered  with  thick  undergrowth  of  oak  bushes.  The  deadened 
leaves  of  the  oak-shrubs  were  almost  identical  in  color  with  the 
brown  jeans  uniforms  of  the  enemy,  and  rendered  it  almost 
impossible  to  distinguish  their  line  until  a  fire  revealed  its  lo 
cality.  This  fact,  together  with  the  character  of  the  ground, 
gave  the  enemy  a  great  advantage,  and  spread  a  feeling  of  un 
certainty  among  the  men  as  to  the  location  of  the  attacking 
Knes.  It  is  impossible  to  say  with  accuracy  what  force  of  the 
enemy  was  encountered.  From  the  best  observations  that  could 
be  made  it  is  believed  that  there  were  at  least  five  regiments  of 
infantry,  and  one  of  cavalry,  the  whole  under  command  of 
Colonel  Roger  W.  Hanson. 

At  about  4  P.  M.  an  order  was  received  from  General 
Wallace  to  co-operate  with  Colonel  Smith's  Brigade,  consist 
ing  of  the  Eighth  Missouri  and  the  Eleventh  Indiana,  in  carrying 
the  enemy's  works  on  the  right,  in  the  front  of  Dover,  by  storm., 
The  officers  and  men,  though  much  fatigued  from  the  action  of 
the  morning,  and  worn  from  loss  of  rest  and  lack  of  food, 
responded  cheerfully  to  the  order,  and  wheeled  into  column.  The 
enemy  was  in  force  on  the  hill,  under  cover  of  the  wood  on  both 
sides  of  the  only  road  leading  up  in  the  direction  of  the  works. 
It  was  necessary  to  cross  an  open  space  of  several  hundred  feet, 
exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire,  before  the  foot  of  the  hill  could  be 
reached.  The  Eighth  Missouri  led  the  advance  up  the  road..  The 
Eleventh  Indiana  charged  up  the  hill  on  the  left.  The  Forty- 
fourth  Indiana  followed  up  the  road.  Five  companies  of  the 
Thirty-first  Indiana  were  ordered  up  the  hill  on  the  extreme 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  17 

left,  and  the  remainder  of  this  regiment,  with  the  residue  of 
the  brigade,  were  ordered  to  the  right,  to  outflank  the  enemy, 
and  attack  in  the  rear.  The  assault  was  a  complete  success.  All 
the  regiments  behaved  handsomely.  The  whole  of  my  brigade 
was  actually  engaged.  In  a  sharp  and  desperate  fight  of  a  few 
minutes'  duration  the  hill  was  carried  by  storm,  and  the  enemy, 
with  tremendous  cheers,  driven  up  to  and  within  his  breast 
works.  The  flank  attack  of  the  portion  of  my  brigade  up  the 
hill,  in  line  at  a  right  angle  to  the  main  advance,  was  gallantly 
conducted,  and  contributed,  no  doubt,  largely  to  the  rout  of 
the  enemy.  Colonel  Dickey,  of  the  Fourth  Illinois  Cavalry, 
during  the  attack,  at  my  request,  dismounted  four-fifths  of  his 
troops,  armed  with  Sharp's  rifles,  and  led  them  up  hill  in  sup 
port  of  regiments  engaged.  His  aid,  however,  was  not  required. 
This  action,  a  brilliant  one  in  any  view,  was  rendered  more  so 
from  the  fact  that  it  was  made  in  the  face  of  a  heavy  fire  of 
grape  and  shrapnel  from  the  battery  of  the  enemy  located  across 
the  ravine  to  the  left  of  the  road,  in  full  command  of  the  hill 
and  the  approaches  to  it.  After  pursuing  the  enemy  to  the  open 
ground  in  front  of  the  fortifications,  a  distance  of  over  half  a 
mile,  an  order  was  received  to  fall  back  to  the  hill  where  the 
attack  was  made,  and  there  camp,  hold  the  position  during  the 
night,  and  prepare  to  storm  the  works  early  the  next  morning. 
The  regiments  slept  on  the  hillside,  and  were  aroused  early  the 
following  morning  (16th),  and  drawn  up  in  column,  ready  to 
march  to  the  assault,  when  intelligence  of  the  surrender  of  the 
enemy  was  received.  According  to  orders,  I  then  marched  the 
brigade  through  the  enemy's  works  to  Dover,  and  took  possession 
of  the  town  and  the  large  number  of  prisoners  and  amount  of 
army  stores  which  it  contained. 

As  a  whole,  the  officers  and  men  of  the  various  regiments 
of  my  command  behaved  well.  They  received  the  enemy's  fire 
with  coolness,  and  returned  it  with  steadiness  and  effect.  Or 
ders  wrere  executed  with  commendable  promptness  and  pre 
cision.  In  view  of  such  general  soldierly  bearing  it  is  difficult 
to  discriminate  individual  instances  of  valor.  Many  such  fell 
under  my  immediate  observation,  and  others  are  reported  by 


18  .The  Thirty -first  Indiana  Regiment 

commanders  of  regiments.     These  cases  will  form  the  subject  of 
a  subsequent  report  at  an  early  day. 

The  members  of  the  brigade  staff  are  entitled  to  commen 
dation  for  their  conduct  during  the  day.  Captain  W.  H.  Fair 
banks,  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General,  was  constantly  in  the 
field,  at  times  also  acting  aide-de-camp.  His  conduct  through 
out  was  creditable. 

I  am,  Captain,  very  respectfully  yours,  etc., 

CHAELES  CRUFT, 

CAPTAIN  FRED  KNEFLER,  Colonel  Commanding. 

Assistant  Adjutant  General,  Third  Division. 

REPORT  OF  MAJOR  FREDERICK  ARN, 
THIRTY-FIRST  INDIANA  INFANTRY. 

HEADQUARTERS  THIRTY-FIRST  REGIMENT  INDIANA  VOLUNTEERS.  ) 
FORT  HENRY,  TENN.,  February  18,  1862.        ) 

SIE, — In  obedience  to  your  order,  the  regiment  left  its  camp, 
near  Fort  Donelson,  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  February, 
1862,  with  an  effective  force  of  727  men.  The  order  given  to 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Osborn  was  to  follow  the  Twenty-fifth  Ken 
tucky  Regiment,  and  form-  in  line  on  the  left,  and  await  further 
orders.  Before  the  regiment  could  reach  the  position  which  it 
was  to  occupy,  it  was  exposed  to  a  galling  fire  of  musketry  and 
artillery  from  the  hill  on  our  left,  which  was  occupied  by  the 
enemy  in  strong  force.  The  regiment  was  promptly  formed  in 
line  of  battle  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  opened  a  cool  and 
effective  fire  on  the  tenemy  until  it  was  broken  by  the  troops 
which  gave  way  on  our  right  and  front,  and  came  rushing 
through  our  ranks  near  the  center.  Our  lines  were,  however, 
promptly  re-formed  on  the  hill  to  the  right  and  rear  of  our  po 
sition.  This  movement  was  made  necessary  by  the  movement 
of  the  enemy,  who  had  outflanked  and  driven  back  the  Twenty- 
fifth  Kentucky,  formed  in  line  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  occupied 
by  your  brigade  in  its  new  position.  In  the  change  of  position- 
a  few  men  with  Lieutenant-Colonel  Osborn  became  detached 
from  the  regiment,  and  were  unable  to  rejoin  it  during  the  day. 

From  this  position  a  most  effective  fire  was  poured  into  the 


In   lit-   \\',,r  of  t/«    I!,-l>,-n;<m.  19 

enemy's  ranks,  which  was  interrupted  by  Colonel  Logan,  who 
stated  that  we  were  firing  into  his  brigade  from  our  right.  To 
ascertain  the  correctness  of  this  statement,  you  ordered  me  to 
deploy  the  First  Company,  Captain  Smith,  as  skirmishers.  He 
soon  reported  that  it  was  the  enemy  in  force  which  we  had  been 
firing  upon,  and  that  their  line  extended  a  considerable  distance 
beyond  our  right.  In  accordance  with  your  order,  I  then  moved 
the  line  further  to  the  right,  the  movement  being  executed  with 
the  greatest  coolness  and  order.  From  this  position  the  enemy's 
fire  was  replied  to  with  such  precision  that  they  soon  gave  way. 
You  then  ordered  two  companies  to  be  deployed  as  skirmishers. 
I  ordered  Companies  I  and  C  to  deploy  in  front  of  our  line, 
which  was  promptly  executed,  and  the  woods  and  bushes  were 
soon  cleared  of  the  enemy.  At  this  time  the  report  reached  us 
that  the  enemy  were  forming  in  a  hollow  leading  to  the  hos 
pital  in  our  rear.  You  ordered  me  to  move,  with  the  brigade,  to 
the  hill  immediately  in  rear  of  the  hospital.  Xo  further  attack 
being  made,  the  regiment  was  kept  in  this  position  until  about 
four  o'clock  P.  M.  At  this  time  I  was  ordered  to  march  the  regi 
ment  into  the  ravine  below  the  fort,  on  the  extreme  right  of  our 
lines,  and  support  the  Eleventh  Indiana  and  Eighth  Missouri 
Eegiments,  which  were  ordered,  with  us,  to  assault  the  hills, 
and  drive  the  enemy  within  their  works.  I  formed  the  regiment 
on  the  left  of  the  Seventeenth  Kentucky,  and  charged  over  the 
hills  until  we  reached  a  ravine  immediately  below  the  enemy's 
batteries,  where  we  were  exposed  to  a  terrible  fire  of  grape, 
shrapnel,  and  shells.  To  avoid  this,  I  moved  the  regiment  by 
the  right  flank  farther  up  the  ravine,  when  the  enemy,  having 
retreated  within  their  works,  we  were  ordered  back  to  the  po 
sition  from  which  we  charged. 

I  can  not  speak  too  highly,  Colonel,  of  the  coolness  and 
bravery  of  the  men  and  the  gallant  behavior  of  the  officers  who 
were  with  the  regiment  during  the  day.  Where  all  were  so 
prompt  in  performing  their  duty  as  brave  soldiers,  it  would  be 
unjust  to  particularize.  Although  brought  into  action  for  the 
first  time,  under  a  terrible  fire  from  the  enemy  concealed  in  a 
dense  undergrowth  of  leafy  oak-bushes,  they  never  for  a  moment 


•J<>  77"    Thirty-first  Indiana 

lost  coolness  and  presence  of  mind.  They  used  their  arms  with 
the  greatest  deliberation,  retaining  their  fire  until  they  could 
procure  a  deliberate  aim.  In  the  afternoon  engagement  they 
exhibited,  if  possible,  even  more  daring,  not  flinching  in  the 
least  from  the  storm  of  iron  which  raked  the  bushes  and  plowed 
the  ground  around  them. 

I  am,  Colonel,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

FRED.  ARN, 

COLONEL  CHARLES  "CROFT,  MaJor  ™'>'//:^  Indiana  Volunteers. 

Commanding  First  Brigade,  Third  Division; 

On  the  17th,  the  day  after  the  surrender,  the  regiment  * 
marched  across  to  the  Tennessee  River,  and  went  into  camp  near 
Fort  Henry.  By  this  time  we  had  almost  a  speechless  command. 
Every  one  had  contracted  a  severe  cold,  and  many  were  so  hoarse 
they  could  scarcely  speak  above  a  whisper.  Perry  H.  Thomp 
son,  Company  A,  Nathan  Barton  and  Bartlett  B.  Bastion,  Com 
pany  F,  and  Philip  Bayne,  Company  I,  died  here  in  camp.  We 
have  no  means  of  telling  how  many  were  sent  to  hospital  and 
home  that  never  recovered.  We  remained  here,  at  Fort  Henry, 
until  March  7,  1862,  when  we  struck  tents,  and  marched  about 
five  miles  up  the  river,  and  embarked  on  board  the  Fanny  Bul- 
litt,  for  Pittsburg  Landing.  We  landed  on  the  16th,  and  went 
immediately  on  picket,  being  the  first  regiment  to  go  ashore. 
While  here,  before  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  there  were 
many  changes  made  in  the  organization  of  the  army.  The 
Thirty-first  Regiment  was  put  in  the  Third  Brigade  of  the  Fourth 
Division.  The  division  was  commanded  by  Brigadier-General 
Stephen  A.  Hurlbut,  and  the  day  before  the  battle,  Brigadier- 
General  Jacob  G.  Lauman  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
brigade.  The  brigade  then  consisted  of  the  Thirty-first  and 
Forty-fourth  Indiana  Regiments  and  the  Seventeenth  and 
Twenty-fifth  Kentucky  Regiments. 

BATTLE  OF  PITTSBURG  LANDING  OR  SHILOH. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  April  6,  1862,  the  regiment  went 
into  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing.  In  this  engagement 
the  loss — officers  killed,  two;  enlisted  men  killed,  nineteen;  offi- 


CAPTAIN  A.  C.  FORD. 
COMPANY  A. 


m 


CAPTAIN  W.  H.  H.  BEADLE. 
COMPANY  A. 


"\ 


CHAELES  M.  SPENCER. 
COMPANY  A. 


CAPTAIN  R.  M.  WATERMAN. 

, NY  A. 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  23 

cers  wounded,  four;  enlisted  men  wounded,  one  hundred  and  ten; 
captured  or  missing,  three;  total  loss,  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight.  The  transactions  of  the  regiment  in  this  battle  are  very 
correctly  given  in  the  official  reports  of  Colonel  Charles  Cruft 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  John  Osborn. 

REPORT  OF  COLONEL  CHARLES  CRUFT, 
THIRTY-FIRST  INDIANA  VOLUNTEERS. 

HEADQUARTERS  THIRTY-FIRST  INDIANA  VOLTNTEERS,  | 
Ix  THE  FIELD,  PITTSBURG  LANDING,  TENN., 

April  10,  1862.      J 

CAPTAIN, — The  following  report  of  the  part  taken  by  the 
Thirty-first  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteers,  in  the  battle  near 
Pittsburg  Landing,  Tennessee,  on  the  6th  and  7th  inst,  is  re 
spectfully  submitted : 

On  Sunday  morning,  the  6th  instant,  about  7.30  o'clock, 
rapid  volleys  of  musketry  from  camps  to  the  front  indicated  the 
commencement  of  the  battle.  Soon  an  order  was  received  from 
the  General  commanding  brigade  to  form  the  regiment  for 
action.  In  ten  minutes  it  was  in  brigade  line  on  the  right. 
In  a  few  moments  thereafter  the  brigade  was  moved  in  column 
to  the  front  along  the  Hamburg  road.  The  regiment  was  formed 
in  line  of  battle  in  the  position  indicated  by  Brigadier-General 
Lauman.  At  this  time  the  battle  was  progressing  actively  upon 
the  right  and  left  of  the  main  line.  Soon  the  enemy  attacked 
our  brigade  in  great  force  and  with  much  desperation.  My 
line  met  the  attack  with  perfect  coolness,  and  with  a  low  and 
steady  fire.  Officers  and  men  behaved  handsomely.  After  the 
expenditure  of  some  thirty  rounds  the  enemy  was  repulsed.  The 
advance  was  made  up  to  within  some  ten  yards  of  my  line,  and 
the  slaughter  among  the  enemy  in  its -front  was  terrible.  A 
second  attack  was  shortly  made  with  increased  fury.  The  line 
stood  unbroken,  however,  and  after  exhausting  nearly  the  last 
cartridge,  again  repulsed  the  enemy.  Here  a  slight  cessation 
in  the  attack  occurred,  barely  long  enough  to  procure  fresh 
ammunition  from  the  rear.  The  boxes  of  the  men  were  scarcely 
filled  before  the  enemy  were  the  third  time  upon  us.  The  line 
stood  firm,  and  again  succeeded  against  superior  numbers.  There 


24  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

was  now  a  short  cessation  of  firing,  during  which  the  cartridge- 
boxes  of  the  men  were  again  filled.  A  fourth  assault  was  soon 
made,  which  was  gallantly  repulsed,  and  the  enemy  withdrew, 
leaving  my  regiment,  with  the  balance  of  the  brigade,  in  position. 
The  enemy  retreating,  moved  off  toward  the  left  of  the  main 
line. 

During  the  action  my  regiment  fired  an  average  of  about 
one  hundred  rounds  per  man.  The  piles  of  the  enemy's  dead, 
which  were  lying  along  our  front  when  he  retreated,  attested  the 
accuracy  and  steadiness  of  the  fire. 

About  two  o'clock  P.  M.  an  order  was  received  to  move  to 
the  left.  This  was  promptly  executed.  For  some  minutes  the 
brigade  was  halted  near  Hamburg  road,  to  protect  Willard's 
batter)7,  that  was  then  playing  upon  the  enemy.  The  various 
regiments  were  then  moved  farther  to  the  left,  and  my  regiment 
ordered  to  the  extreme  left,  and  placed  in  position  to  await  the 
expected  attack.  An  Illinois  regiment  subsequently  formed  to 
our  left  and  rear.  The  action  soon  commenced  to  our  right. 
It  was  apparent,  from  the  reports  of  skirmishers  sent  to  the  front 
and  from  observations,  that  the  enemy  were  preparing  to  flank 
our  line  to  the  left  in  great  force.  This  was  shortly  accom 
plished.  Regiment  after  regiment  marched  up  from  a  large 
ravine  to  the  left,  .moving  in  echelon,  in  compact  lines,  with 
Confederate  flags  flying,  in  perfect  order,  as  if  on  parade,  and 
came  steadily  down  upon  our  small  front.  An  order  was  given 
for  our  left  to  advance.  My  regiment  did  so  promptly.  It  was 
soon  evident  that  the  advance  could  not  be  sustained,  in  the 
absence  of  a  reserve,  against  the  overwhelming  force  of  well- 
disciplined  troops  of  the  enemy.  After  my  regiment  had  fired 
some  ten  rounds,  the  regiment  to  the  left  was  forced  back.  An 
order  was  now  given  along  the  entire  line  to  fall  back,  and  a 
general  retreat  was  made  about  ^3.30  o'clock  P.  M.  to  a  ridge 
near  the  river.  Here  the  regiment  was  again  formed  in  brigade 
line,  and  marched  up  to  the  support  of  a  section  of  battery  of 
large  siege  guns,  and  occupied  this  position  during  the  desperate 
fight  which  closed  the  day.  After  the  final  repulse  of  the  enemy, 
the  regiment  was  moved  forward,  with  the  residue  of  the  brig- 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  25 

ade,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  and  there  bivouacked  for 
the  night,  at  about  T.30  o'clock.  At  this  time  the  effects  of  the 
wounds  received  during  the  early  part  of  the  day  compelled  me 
to  retire  from  the  field,  and  it  has  not  since  been  possible  for 
me  to  rejoin  the  regiment.  The  command  henceforth  devolved1 
on  Lieutenant-Colonel  Osborn,  who  had  borne  himself  gallantly 
during  the  whole  day,  and  who  alone  of  the  field  officers  escaped 
unharmed. 

On  the  next  day  (the  7th  inst.)  the  regiment  was  actively 
engaged  with  the  balance  of  your  brigade  on  the  right  of  our 
main  line.  For  the  particulars  of  this  day's  work  you  are  re 
ferred  to  the  report  of  Colonel  Osborn,  hereto  appended,  marked 
A.  The  casualties  of  the  previous  day  had  made  great  inroads 
among  the  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  of  the  various 
companies.  It  affords  me  pleasure,  however,  to  report  to  you 
that  the  regiment  fully  sustained  its  former  well-earned  repu 
tation,  and  gallantly  bore  its  part  in  the  sharp  engagements 
which  were  that  day  fought,  and  joined  in  the  victorious  rout 
and  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  which  resulted  therefrom. 

It  grieves  me  to  report  the  loss  of  two  gallant  officers.  During 
the  first  charge  of  the  enemy,  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  Major 
Fred  Arn  fell  mortally  wounded.  He  was  a  true  soldier  and  an 
accomplished  gentleman.  No  more  gallant  soul  ever  "took 
wing"  from  a  battle-field.  Captain  George  Harvey,  one  of  the 
best  officers  of  the  regiment,  was  killed  upon  the  field  while 
bravely  leading  his  company  in  the  afternoon. 

The  number  of  commissioned  officers  of  the  regiment 
wounded  more  or  less  seriously  was  large,  being  more  than  one- 
third  of  those  in  the  fight. 

Lieutenant  Clifford  W.  Ross,  regimental  Adjutant,  was  un 
horsed  early  in  the  first  engagement  from  the  effects  of  a  shell, 
while  in  the  fearless  discharge  of  duty. 

The  commandants  of  companies,  Captains  Winans,  Mewhin- 
ney,  Wall,  Fairbanks,  J.  T.  Smith,  McCalla,  Beatty,  C.  M. 
Smith,  and  Lieutenant  Waterman,  each  acted  nobly.  The  Lieu 
tenants  and  subaltern  officers  of  their  companies  also  conducted 
themselves  with  courage  and  propriety.  The  conduct  of  Sur- 


26  The  Thirty-first  Indiana,  Regiment 

gcon  James  E.  Armstrong  and  his  assistant,  W.  C.  Hendricks, 
merits  honorable  mention.  They  accompanied  the  regiment 
constantly  on  both  days,  often  in  such  close  proximity  as  to  en 
danger  their  own  lives,  ministering  to  the  wounded  with  a  kind 
ness  and  assiduity  beyond  the  ordinary  calls  of  professional  duty. 
With  assurance  of  regard  to  General  commanding  brigade, 

I  am,  Captain,  yours  respectfully, 

CHARLES  CRUFT, 

Colonel  Thirty-first  Indiana  Volunteers. 

REPORT  OF  LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  JOHN  OSBORN, 
THIRTY-FIRST  INDIANA  VOLUNTEERS. 

HEADQUARTERS  THIRTY-FIRST  INDIANA  VOLUNTEERS,  ) 
PITTSBURG  LANDING,  April  8,  1862.        \ 

COLONEL, — I  beg  leave  to  report  to  you  the  action  of  our 
regiment  during  Monday,  7th  instant,  in  the  battle  at  this  place, 
while,  owing  to  your  wounds,  it  was  under  my  command.  The 
regiment  remained  at  the  place  where  you  bivouacked  it  during 
Sunday  night  and  until  about  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.  on  Monday. 
At  this  time  it  was  ordered  out  with  the  brigade  to  engage  in 
the  general  fight,  which  had  again  commenced.  We  were  con 
ducted  over  towards  the  creek,  on  the  extreme  right  of  our  lines, 
and  some  distance  along  it,  over  broken  ground  and  through  the 
woods,  to  a  point  near  the  right  of  our  front.  Here  the  regi 
ment  was  placed  in  position.  In  a  short  time  the  enemy  ap 
peared,  and  we  became  hotly  engaged.  The  attack  was  fiercely 
made,  and  bravely  resisted  by  our  men.  After  some  minutes' 
severe  fighting  the  enemy  were  forced  to  give  way,  and  an  assault 
being  ordered  on  his  lines,  the  men  sprang  forward  in  eager 
pursuit.  They  were  driven  for  near  a  mile,  when  our  line  was 
ordered  to  halt.  The  enemy  soon  wholly  disappeared  from  our 
front.  Afte^  holding  the  ground  for  some  time,  it  was  ascer 
tained  that  the  enemy's  retreat  had  become  general,  and  we 
were  ordered  to  return  to  camp. 

It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  report  to  you,  Colonel,  that 
the  officers  and  men  of  your  regiment  acted  with  their  accus 
tomed  gallantry  while  under  my  command.  Their  conduct  was 
as  brave  as  on  the  day  previous,  when  you  led  them  in  person. 


///   fh>   Wf/r  of  the  Rebellion.  27 

Every  officer  and  soldier,  without  one  single  exception,  acted 
courageously  and  properly.  I  am  much,  indebted  to  the  com 
manders  of  companies  for  their  noble  conduct  during  the  day. 
While  we  all  deplore  the  casualty  which  kept  you  from  the  field, 
each  strove  so  to  act  as  to  insure  you  a  good  report  of  his  conduct. 
Hoping  that  you  may  soon  recover  from  the  wounds  you 
received  in  the  battle  of  Sunday,  and  be  able  to  join  the  regiment, 
and  congratulating  you  upon  your  narrow  escapes, 

I  am,  Colonel,  vour  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  OSBORN, 

Lieutenant-Colonel. 

General  Hurlbut,  in  his  official  report,  says:  "Brigadier-Gen 
eral  J.  G.  Lauman,  commanding  the  Third  Brigade,  took  com 
mand  only  the  day  before  the  battle.  The  brigade  and  their 
commander  know  each  other  now.  I  saw  him  hold  the  right 
of  my  line  on  Sunday  with  his  small  body  of  gallant  men,  only 
1,717  strong,  for  three  hours,  and  then,  when  changed  over  to 
the  left,  repel  the  attack  of  twice  his  force  for  a  full  hour  of 
terrible  fighting,  closing  by  the  most  gallant  and  successful 
charge,  which  gave  him  time  to  draw  off  his  force  in  order  and 
comparative  safety."  Brigadier-General  Jacob  G.  Lauman,  who 
commanded  the  brigade,  in  his  report  says:  "When  I  come  to 
speak  of  the  gallantry  and  bravery  of  the  officers  and  men  of 
my  command,  I  find  great  difficulty  in  finding  language  strong 
enough  to  express  my  feelings  on  the  subject,  and  can  only  say 
that  they  fought  from  morning  until  night  like  veterans.  Well 
mav  Indiana  and  Kentucky  be  proud  of  them.  They  have  added 
aiiotner  bright  page  to  their  martial  history;  and  where  all  be 
haved  so  well,  I  find  great  difficulty  in  giving  to  each  one  the 
particular  notice  they  so  well  earned.  Colonel  Cruft,  of  the 
Thirty-first  Indiana,  was  severely  wounded  in  the  leg  and  shoul 
der  in  the  early  part  of  the  contest,  but  refused  to  leave  the  field 
until  near  the  close  of  the*  engagement,  though  suffering  much 
from  pain  and  loss  of  blood.  Major  Arn,  of  the  Thirty-first,  was 
mortally  wounded  on  Sunday  morning — since  dead.  A  braver 
or  better  officer  never  gave  up  his  life  in  his  country's  cause." 

The  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  during  the  first  day,  was 


28  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Reyino  nl 

one  of  the  most  terribly  hard-f ought  battles  of  the  war.  The 
attack  was  the  most  fierce,  and  the  resistance  the  most  stubborn. 
It  was  a  complete  illustration  of  Southern  dash  and  Northern 
pluck  and  endurance.  The  Confederate  army  that  bore  arms 
numbered  forty  thousand,  commanded  by  Albert  S.  Johnson, 
one  of  their  most  skillful  and  distinguished  generals.  We  had 
thirty-three  thousand  men,  including  chaplains,  surgeons,  team 
sters,  etc.,  who  did  not  bear  arms.  Then  we  had  one  or  two 
regiments  which  had  not  received  their  guns.  All  told,  I  do  not 
suppose  we  had  as  many  as  twenty-five  thousand  men  in  line,  at 
any  time,  during  the  first  day.  The  battle  opened  with  fury 
at  7.30  o'clock  A.  M.  Our  army  was  taken  complete?  by  sur 
prise.  Some  were  in  bed  yet,  some  were  eating  breakfast,  and 
a  few  companies  were  being  inspected;  but  in  less  time  than  one 
can  tell  it,  regiments,  brigades,  and  divisions  were  formed  in 
line ;  and  for  nearly  two  and  a  half  hours  the  battle  raged  before 
the  General  commanding  reached  the  field.  I  do  not  know  why 
three  staff  officers  certified  that  General  Grant  was  on  the  field 
at  7.30  o'clock,  for  it  is  a  mistake;  for  this  was  the  time  the 
battle  began,  and  General  Grant  himself  says,  in  his  ''Personal 
Memoirs,"  that  he  was  at  breakfast  when  he  first  heard  the  guns. 
He,  being  at  Savannah,  had  ten  miles  to  travel.  General  Lew 
Wallace  talked  with  him  at  Purdy,  four  miles  below  Pittsburg 
Landing,  at  nine  o'clock  that  morning.  I  saw  the  General 
myself  riding  out  from  the  Landing  towards  the  front,  with  his 
staff,  within  a  few  minutes  of  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  The  brigade 
and  division  commanders,  however,  wrere  equal  to  the  occasion, 
and  with  General  Lew  Wallace's  division,  which  would  have 
been  on  the  battle-field  several  hours  earlier  than  it  was  if  it  had 
received  no  orders  at  all,  would  have  defeated  the  Confederates, 
even  if  General  Grant  and  General  Buell  had  both  failed  to 

come. 

• 

The  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  was  an  open-field  fight.  The 
army  had  not  yet  begun  to  use  the  shovel  and  pick,  and  the 
surface  of  the  country  was  such  that  neither  army  could  get 
much  advantage  of  the  other.  The  Thirty-first  was  rather  fortu 
nate  in  getting  a  favorable  position.  It  was  halted  in  an  old 


///   Mr  War  of  the  Rebellion.  29 

road,  in  which  there  had  been  beaten  and  washed  a  depression 
nearly  a  foot  deep.  In  this  depression  the  regiment  lay  down, 
and  fired  and  loaded  without  getting  up.  The  ground  in  front 
was  literally  covered  with  small  undergrowth — a  real  thicket. 
This  was,  however,  all  cut  off  with  bullets  almost  as  clean  as  if 
a  mowing  machine  had  run  over  it.  At  no  place,  on  the  whole 
line,  did  Confederate  dead  lie  thicker  than  here  in  our  front. 
So  numerous,  in  fact,  were  the  rebel  dead  here,  that  this  place 
received  the  name  and  was  known  as  the  "hornets'  nest." 

General  Halleck  arrived  at  Pittsburg  Landing  April  11, 
1862,  and  assumed  command.  On  the  21st,  General  Pope  ar 
rived  with  an  army  thirty  thousand  strong,  fresh  from  the  cap 
ture  of  Island  Number  10  in  the  Mississippi  River.  He  went 
into  camp  at  Hamburg,  five  miles  above  Pittsburg.  Halleck 
had  now  three  armies — the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  Buell  command 
ing;  the  Army  of  the  Mississsippi,  Pope  commanding;  and  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee,  Grant  commanding.  The  Thirty-first 
Regiment  remained  in  camp  at  Pittsburg  Landing  until  the 
2d  clay  of  May,  1862,  during  which  time  there  was  a  kind  of 
general  reorganization  of  the  army,  and  the  Thirty-first  was 
transferred  to  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  and  became  a  part  of  the 
Twenty-second  Brigade,  Fourth  Division. 

The  brigade  now  consisted  of  the  First,  Second,  and  Twen 
tieth  Kentucky  Regiments  and  the  Thirty-first  Indiana.  Colonel 
Cruft,  not  yet  well  enough  for  duty,  the  brigade  is  commanded 
by  Colonel  Sedgwick,  of  the  Second  Kentucky,  General  William 
Nelson  commanding  the  division. 

On  May  2d,  the  regiment,  together  with  the  division,  moved 
from  the  field  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  encamped  near  the  forks 
of  the  road  east  of  Monterey,  and  for  a  few  days  were  kept  busy 
cutting  roads  and  corduroying.  This,  with  the  heavy  picket 
duty  owing  to  the  bad  weather,  was  heavy  on  the  troops. 

May  7th  advanced  camp  three  miles,  and  the  next  day  moved 
to  Nichols  Ford  on  Seven-mile  Creek,  to  support,  as  we  under 
stood,  a  reconnaissance  that  was  being  made  by  General  Pope. 
During  the  next  ten  days  we  marched  and  countermarched  in 
almost  every  direction.  On  the  18th  we  moved  forward  on  the 


30  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regim<  nt 

Farmington  road,  and  here  we  began  the  use  of  the  spade. 
Pretty  heavy  intrenchments  were  thrown  up  on  commanding 
ground  in  front  of  the  camps.  We  were  now  having  daily  skir 
mishing  with  the  enemy,  and  occasionally  they  would  throw  a 
few  shells  into  our  lines. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  the  regiment  was  sent  out  with 
the  brigade  to  make  a  forced  reconnaissance  in  front  of  General 
Wood's  Division,  on  the  road  to  Corinth.  We  also  had  with  us 
a  battery  of  artillery  and  a  squadron  of  cavalry.  This  recon 
naissance  developed  quite  a  hot  little  engagement,  in  which  eigh 
teen  men,  including  one  Captain  of  the  First  Kentucky,  were 
wounded.  Five  companies  of  the  Thirty-first  were  hotly  en 
gaged  for  a  while.  On  this  expedition,  Captain  McCalla  com 
manded  the  regiment.  From  the  fact  that-  we  found  thirty-five 
new  graves  near  there,  we  supposed  this  was  the  loss  of  the 
enemy.  May  28th  the  whole  division  moved  to  the  front,  the 
Twenty- second  Brigade  being  in  the  advance,  and,  after  some 
heavy  skirmishing,  we  drove  the  enemy  from  the  bridge  over 
Bridge  Creek,  on  the  main  road  from  Hamburg  to  Corinth, 
which  position  we  held  until  the  30th,  when  we  moved  into 
Corinth,  the  enemy  having  retreated.  In  all  this  skirmishing  in 
front  of  Corinth  the  regiment  had  but  one  officer  and  seven 
enlisted  men  wounded. 

This  forced  reconnaissance,  on  the  21st  inst,  was  really  none 
of  our  fight.  G-eneral  Nelson  was  impatient  to  'advance,  but  was 
not  allowed  to  do  so  until  General  Wood,  who  was  on  his  im 
mediate  right,  made  an  advance,  and  Wood  declared  he  could 
not  move.  General  Nelson  bet  hinr  a  barrel  of  whisky  that  he 
could  clear  his  front  with  his  "Scrub  Brigade.7'  Hence  our 
brigade  was  ordered  up.  When  it  arrived  at  Wood's  head 
quarters,  Nelson  closed  each  regiment  in  mass  on  the  center, 
and  moved  through  the  woods,  deploying  in  line  of  battle,  ac 
complished  the  work,  and  next  morning  Nelson  sent  the  boys 
a  drink  of  whisky. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Corinth  we  moved  forward,  coining 
up  with  Pope's  troops  near  Booneville,  Miss.  On  June  the  9th 
we  passed  through  the  beautiful  little  town  of  Jacinto,  and 


In  the  \V<tr  of  th^  Rebellion.  31 

arrived  at  luka  June  lltli,  went  into  camp,  and  slept  under  our 
blankets  for  the  first  time  since  the  4th  of  May.  Here  we  were 
busy  for  several  days,  repairing  the  railroad  bridge  across  Bear 
Creek  and  mending  roads.  On  the  21st  of  June  the  regiment 
was  detached,  and  sent  to  Eastport  on  the  Tennessee  River.  We 
broke  camp  here  the  23d,  and  did  some  unusual  hard  marching, 
reaching  the  Charleston  Railroad  the  24th,  and  rejoined  the 
brigade  the  25th,  and  arrived  at  Tuscumbia.  The  next  day 
went  to  the  Tennessee  River,  where  Companies  D  and  F  did 
a  hard  day's  work  in  a  drenching  rain,  unloading  and  loading 
baggage  and  train  on  the  ferry-boat.  About  dusk  the  same 
evening  we  reached  Florence,  Alabama,  marching  to  the  tune 
of  "Dixie. "  June  the  30th  we  passed  through  Rogersville,  and 
finally  reached  Elk  River.  We  found  it  about  seventy-five  yardk 
wide,  and  from  three  to  four  feet  deep.  The  water  was  swift, 
clear,  and  cool.  It  was  rather  difficult  for  some  of  the  smaller 
men  to  carry  their  household  and  kitchen  furniture,  their  guns, 
accoutrements,  and  clothing,  and  keep  all  out  of  the  water;  but 
we  all  waded,  and  were  nothing  the  worse,  as  far  as  known. 
July  1st  we  arrived  at  Athens,  Alabama,  and  went  into  camp. 
Here,  on  the  4th,  we  made  a  march  of  three  miles,  through  the 
mo-t  intense  heat,  1o  the  Fair  Grounds,  to  celebrate  the  Fourth 
by  a  dress  parade.  ~Not  a  white  person  from  the  town  honored 
us  with  their  presence.  But  quite  a  number  of  the  colored  popu 
lation  came  out  and  cheered  the  old  flag.  July  the  9th  the 
Thirty-first  was  again  detached  from  the  brigade,  and  marched 
north  until  we  came  to  Elk  River,  where  the  Nashville  &  Hunts- 
ville  Railroad  crosses.  We  reached  there  on  the  10th,  having 
waded  several  creeks  on  the  way.  Our  business  here  was  to 
rebuild  the  railroad  bridge,  which  had  been  torn  down.  We  left 
here  and  marched  by  the  way  of  Pulaski,  and  reached  Reynolds's 
Station,  July  15,  1862.  Here  was  a  large  provision  depot  for 
BuelPs  army,  and  it  was  our  business  to  do  rather  an  unusual 
amount  of  guard  and  picket  duty.  It  was  here,  on  the  21st  of 
July,  1862,  that  First  Lieutenant  William  Thompson,  of  Com 
pany  F,  died  very  suddenly.  He  was  a  grand  man.  Patriotic, 
brave,  honest,  and  true.  On  the  28th  we  took  the  cars  for  JSiash- 


32  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

ville,  where  we  arrived  in  the  evening  and  went  into  camp.  The 
29th,  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  we  were  called  out  in  great 
haste,  and  took  the  train  for  Gallatin,  Tenn.,  where  we  arrived 
the  morning  of  the  30th,  and  went  into  camp  in  the  Fair 
Grounds.  We  left  here  August  1st,  and  went  by  rail  through 
Nashville  to  Murfreesborough,  where  we  remained  until  August 
8th,  when  we  were  again  on  the  road,  and,  after  various  hard 
marches  and  countermarches,  we  arrived  late  in  the  evening 
of  August  15th  at  McMinnville.  Here  we  rejoined  our  brigade, 
and  on  the  next  morning  we  were  ordered  to  report  to  General 
Nelson's  headquarters  for  inspection.  Inasmuch  as  we  had  been 
almost  constantly  on  the  march,  or  in  box-cars,  sleeping  in  the 
woods,  the  report  of  the  inspector  was  not  very  complimentary. 
We  remained  at  McMinnville,  at  the  foot  of  the  Cumberland 
Mountains,  until  September  3,  1862,  when  we  began  that  long, 
fatiguing  march  to  Louisville,  Kentucky.  We  passed  through 
Woodbury,  and  about  noon  on  the  5th  passed  Murf reesboro,  and 
made  connection  with  the  main  body  of  Buell's  army.  We 
passed  through  Nashville  September  8th,  taking  the  Gallatin 
pike,  and  passing  through  Franklin,  Bowling  Green,  Elizabeth- 
town,  and  on  to  the  river,  arriving  there  on  the  20th  of  Septem 
ber,  where  we  came  up  with  the  rear  of  Bragg's  army.  Our 
army  was  put  in  line  of  battle,  and  there  was  heavy  skirmishing 
all  that  day  and  part  of  the  next.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  21st 
we  were  again  on  the  march,  Buell  having  let  Bragg  get  away. 
On  the  22d  passed  through  Munfordsville  and  Westpoint.  Here 
we  drew  full  rations,  our  rations  having  been  rather  scant  for 
a  month.  On  the  26th  we  arrived  at  Louisville,  marched  down 
through  the  city,  and  went  into  camp  on  the  Ohio  River,  in  a 
potato-field.  Here  we  remained  the  rest  of  the  month,  and  in 
the  meantime  were  introduced  to  the  Ninetieth  Ohio  Regiment, 
which  became  a  part  of  our  brigade.  A  finer-looking  regiment 
of  men  never  went  into  the  service.  And  it  was  as  true  as  steel, 
and  as  brave  as  it  was  true.  The  day  they  came  into  our  brigade 
they  were  splendidly  equipped;  had  everything  allowed  by  the 
regulations,  and  more  too.  The  next  morning  they  did  not  have 
near  so  much.  The  fact  is,  the  Thirty-first  had  made  a  draw, 


///   flu'  }}'((/•  of  tin    It  dull  ion.  83 

and  it  was  with  great 'difficulty  that  you  could  get  the  Ninetieth 
to  believe  that  the  Thirty-first  had  not  robbed  them  of  their 
household  goods  and  kitchen  furniture. 

These  two  regiments,  however,  became  knitted  together  in 
friendship  akin  to  that  that  existed  between  David  and  Jona 
than.  It  was  also  while  we  were  here  that  our  division  com 
mander,  General  William  Nelson,  was  killed  by  General  Jeff.  C. 
Davis.  On  the  morning  of  September  30th  there  was  a  detail 
of  one  hundred  and  forty  men  of  the  Thirty-first,  to  form  part 
of  the  procession  that  bore  his  remains  to  the  cemetery  at 
Louisville. 

We  left  Louisville,  October  1,  1862,  marching  out  on  the 
Mount  Washington  Pike,  and  on  to  Bardstown  and  Springfield 
to  Perryville.  On  this  march  from  Louisville  the  troops  suffered 
for  water.  At  Perryville,  on  the  8th  of  September,  did  some 
skirmishing;  but  we  were  really  not  in  that  bloody  battle.  On 
the  9th  we  moved  in  line  of  battle  across  farms,  and  over  fences, 
hills,  and  hollows,  and  had  considerable  skirmishing.  The  10th 
we  passed  through  Perryville,  and  took  the  road  towards  Dan 
ville,  and  had  some  sharp  skirmishing  with  rebel  cavalry.  The 
12th,  after  much  maneuvering  and  marching,  we  went  into  Dan 
ville  about  midnight,  and  the  regiment  was  posted  through  the 
town  as  pickets.  We  found  the  people  here  the  most  kind  and 
sociable  of  any  we  had  met.  They  voluntarily  brought  us  pro 
visions,  and  kindly  invited  us  to  their  houses.  We  left  Danville 
September  14th,  and  passed  through  Stanford,  Crab  Orchard, 
Mount  Yernon,  Wild  Cat,  across  Kockcastle  Eiver.  The  18th 
we  made  a  rapid  march  across  to  Nelson's  Crossroads,  where  we 
surprised  a  brigade  of  rebel  cavalry,  and,  after  a  sharp  skirmish, 
captured'  a  few  prisoners  and  drove  the  enemy  in  rapid  retreat. 
The  19th  was  spent  in  sending  out  scouting  parties,  gathering 
up  the  stragglers  in  rear  of  Bragg's  army.  Company  F,  in  the 
afternoon  while  out  on  a  scout,  gathered  up  18  mules,  29  head 
of  beef  cattle,  and  the  30  rebels  who  were  guarding  them.  The 
work  of  the  brigade  during  the  day  was:  Prisoners  captured, 
140;  beef  cattle,  155;  and  18  head  of  mules.  This  stock  was 
part  of  that  which  Bragg  had  gathered  up  in  Kentucky  for  the 


34  The  Thirty-first  Indian  a  Regiment 

use  of  his  army.  On  the  20th  the  brigade  marched  some  fifteen 
miles  along  a  deep  creek  pass  on  a  reconnaissance,  until  it  came 
to  an  almost  impassable  hill,  where  we  found  the  enemy  had 
burned  a  large  portion  of  their  wagon  train,  and  had  destroyed 
a  large  number  of  small  arms.  The  pursuit  was  abandoned,  and 
after  a  short  rest  and  a  lunch  the  brigade  returned  to  camp. 
October  22d  the  brigade  marched  to  Goose  Creek  salt-works,  in 
Clay  County,  Kentucky,  a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles,  through 
a  rough,  mountainous  country.  The  23d  was  spent  in  destroy 
ing  the  works,  immediately  after  which  we  returned  to  Nelson's 
Crossroads,  and  on  to  Rockcastle  River,  arriving  there  on  the 
evening  of  October  25,  1862.  The  night  following  we  en 
countered  a  most  terrific  snow-storm.  We  had  left  our  tents 
behind;  many  of  the  men  had  no  blankets,  some  were  without 
shoes.  All  were  thinly  clad.  The  snow  was  wet  and  heavy;  it 
stuck  to  the  limbs  of  the  trees.  The  bushes  and  saplings  were 
bent,  in  some  places,  to  the  ground  and  across  the  road.  The 
snow  was  some  six  or  seven  inches  deep.  It  was  slavish  march 
ing  at  best,  and  for  those  without  shoes  it  was  dreadful.  The 
26th,  about  noon,  we  reached  Mount  Yernon.  Here  some  of 
the  men  bought  shoes  at  the  stores.  Just  after  noon  we  started 
out  on  the  Somerset  Road,  and  went  into  camp  about  sundown; 
that  is,  we  marched  out  into  a  meadow  and  stacked  arms,  the 
snow  being  almost  up  to  the  locks  of  the  guns.  I  had  never 
seen  a  night  coming  on  that  promised  so  little  in  the  way  of 
comfort,  and  yet  we  got  a  good  night's  rest.  The  men  procured 
boards  and  scraped  away  the  snow.  We  went  about  a  third  of 
a  mile,  and  carried  over  a  lot  of  shock  fodder.  Orders  had  been 
given  to  take  none  but  the  top  rail  from  the  fence,  and  it  was 
astonishing  how  top  rails  turned  out.  There  were  plenty  of  rails 
to  run  all  night  long.  The  regiment  was  doubled,  so  one-half 
of  it  would  be  on  one  side  of  the  fire,  and  the  other  half  on  the 
other  side.  Each  company  kept  a  man  up  all  the  while  to  keep 
the  fire  going,  and  to  see  that  no  sparks  got  into  the  fodder.  The 
next  day  we  continued  the  march,  and  passed  through  Somerset 
and  took  the  road  toward  Columbia,  and  on  the  29th  rejoined 
the  other  two  brigades  of  our  division.  On  the  31st,  Captain 


CAPTAIN  R.  H.  WATERMAN. 
COMPANY  A. 


LORENZO  D.  GARD. 
COMPANY  B. 


JAMES  K.  WELLS. 
COMPANY  B.  - 


HI'RAM  GILBERT. 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  37 

Watterman,  of  Company  A,  and  quite  a  number  of  the  regi 
ment  who  had  been  left  behind  sick,  rejoined  us.  October  2d 
we  resumed  the  march,  passing  through  Columbia,  and  arriving 
at  Moscow  late  in  the  evening  of  November  4,  1862.  Here 
we  went  into  camp  near  the  town,  and  put  up  our  tents  for 
the  first  time  since  we  took  them  down  at  McMinnville,  on  the 
3d  day  of  September,  1862,  making  two  months  that  we  had 
taken  the  weather,  day  and  night,  just  as  it  came,  without  shel 
ter  or  protection.  November  the  5th  the  regiment  was  called 
into  dress  parade,  the  first  for  two  months  or  more.  On  the 
morning  of  the  7th  we  again  broke  camp,  and  were  on  the  march. 
Arrived  at  Scottville  November  8th,  going  into  camp,  and  re 
maining  two  days.  On  the  10th  we  passed  through  Gallatin, 
in  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and,  taking  the  Lebanon  road,  we 
reached  the  Cumberland  River,  and  went  into  camp  after  dark. 
The  next  day  we  crossed  the  river,  and  marched  to  Silver 
Springs,  in  Wilson  County,  Tennessee.  We  remained  here  in 
camp  until  the  19th,  when  we  resumed  the  march,  passing  by 
the  Hermitage,  and  refreshed  our  memory  of  the  hero  of  New 
Orleans,  marched  on  across  Stone  River,  and  finally  pitched  tents 
on  the  Murfreesborough  pike,  near  Nashville,  Tennessee.  We 
remained  here  until  December  26,  1862,  being  occupied  in  camp, 
guard,  and  picket  duty. 

BATTLE  OF  STONE  RIVER. 

REPORT  OF  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  CHARLES  CRUFT, 

COMMANDING  FIRST  BRIGADE,  INCLUDING  SKIRMISH   AT  LAVERGNE, 
DECEMBER  26,  1862. 

HEADQUARTERS  FIRST  BRIGADE,  SECOND  DIVISION,  LEFT  WING 
IN  THE  FIELD,  BEFORE 


DE,  SECOND  DIVISION,  LEFT  WING  ~\ 
MURFREESBOROUGH,  TENN., 

January  8,  1868.        ) 


CAPTAIN, — I  herewith  submit,  for  the  consideration  of  the 
General  commanding  the  division,  the  following  report  of  the 
operations  of  this  brigade  in  the  recent  action  before  Murfrees- 
boro,  Tennessee. 

The  brigade  broke  camp,  near  Nashville,  on  the  morning  of 
the  26th  ultimo.  The  effective  infantry  strength  of  the  com 
mand  on  leaving  camp  was  1,207.  It  consisted  of  the  First 


38  The  Thirty -first  Indiana  Regiment 

Kentucky  Volunteers,  Colonel  D.  A.  Enyart;  Second  Kentucky 
Volunteers,  Colonel  T.  D.  Sedgwick;  Thirty-first  Indiana 
Volunteers,  Colonel  John  Osborn;  and  the  Ninetieth  Ohio 
Volunteers,  Colonel  I.  X.  Ross.  Captain  Standards  Ohio  Bat 
tery,  Company  B,  First  Regiment,  was  attached  to  the  com 
mand  for  temporary  service. 

After  passing  the  picket  lines  near  Nashville,  this  brigade 
had  the  advance,  preceded  by  a  portion  of  Colonel  Kennett's 
cavalry  command.  After  various  trifling  skirmishes  and  some 
artillery  firing,  the  enemy's  skirmishers  were  forced  into  the 
village  of  Lavergne.  Here  quite  a  force  of  cavalry,  artillery, 
and  infantry  (or  dismounted  cavalry)  of  the  enemy  disputed 
the  occupancy  of  the  place.  General  Palmer  ordered  me  to 
drive  the  enemy  from  the  woods  on  the  left,  and  take  possession 
of  the  village  from  that  quarter,  if  daylight  would  permit.  The 
Thirty-first  Indiana  and  the  First  Kentucky  Volunteers  were 
placed  under  command  of  Colonel  Enyart,  and  sent  by  me  to 
accomplish  this.  Colonel  Murray,  of  the  Third  Kentucky  Cav 
alry,  having  been  ordered  to  report  to  me  for  temporary  duty, 
was  placed  upon  the  left  flank  of  these  regiments,  and,  with 
his  command,  acted  very  handsomely  in  protecting  it  and  se 
curing  the  woods  beyond.  The  regiments  above  named  ad 
vanced,  towards  nightfall,  under  cover  of  the  cedars  on  the 
left,  and  finding  the  enemy  in  force,  near  the  frame  church  on 
the  west  of  Stoney  Creek,  attacked  him,  and,  after  a  sharp  dis 
charge  of  musketry,  ran  in  on  a  bayonet  charge,  and  routed 
him,  forcing  him  across  the  creek,  and  occupying  the  west  bank. 
Our  line  of  skirmishers  was  then  placed  in  the  field  beyond 
the  creek  and  along  the  outskirts  of  the  village.  The  conduct 
of  both  regiments  and  all  the  oificers  in  this  skirmish  was  ex 
cellent.  The  casualties  of  my  command  were  eight  wounded. 

The  Thirty-first  Indiana  was  withdrawn  to  the  rear  to  en 
camp,  and  Colonel  Enyart,  with  his  regiment  (First  Kentucky), 
and  a  section  of  artillery,  under  Lieutenant  Xewell,  were  loft 
to  occupy  the  position  until  morning.  On  the  27th  ultimo  the 
brigade  reached  Stewart's  Creek,  and  went  into  camp  at  night. 

On  the  28th  (Sunday)  the  command  lay  at  Stewart's  Creek, 


In  tie  War  of  the  Rebellion.  39 

one-half  the  brigade  on  picket  duty.  On  the  20th  the  brigade 
advanced'  from  Stewart's  Creek,  in  line  of  battle  across  the 
field,  and  at  night  took  position  in  the  front,  on  the  Nashville 
Turnpike,  in  the  cedars,  near  Cowan's  burnt  house,  about  three 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Murfreesborough.  An  effective  line 
of  skirmishers  was  thrown  forward,  and  the  open  ground  to 
our  front  firmly  held.  On  the  30th  the  brigade  rested  in  po 
sition,  holding  the  front  of  woods  where  it  was  bivouacked,  and 
the  line  of  pickets  to  the  front  during  the  fierce  engagement 
which  occurred  on  the  right  of  our  line.  During  the  night  the 
Second  Kentucky  (Colonel  Sedgwick)  was  on  picket  duty.  This 
regiment  succeeded  in  driving  the  enemy's  pickets  from  the 
crest  in  the  field  near  the  burnt  house.  His  temporary  shelters, 
along  the  row  of  peach-trees  on  the  lane,  some  sixty  yards  east 
of  the  burnt  house,  were  occupied  by  my  troops  after  a  sharp 
night  skirmish,  and  held  by  them,  against  two  charges  of  cav 
alry,  until  daylight  the  following  morning.  No  pains  were 
spared  to  explain  my  position  during  the  night.  Support  was 
promised  on  my  left,  but  did  not  come.  If  re-enforced  on  the 
flank,  this  position  could  probably  have  been  held.  One-half 
the  effective  force  of  my  brigade  was  kept  out  all  night,  on 
picket,  trying  to  hold  this  advanced  line.  The  attempt  was 
partially  successful.  It  was  suspected  that  the  enemy  had  rifle- 
pits  and  a  large  force  beyond  the  crest;  but  the  best  recon 
naissance  I  could  make,  by  night,  could  not  furnish  the  facts. 
Subsequent  knowledge  evinced  the  correctness  of  the  suppo 
sition,  and  also  demonstrated  the  fact  that  5,000  troops  could 
not  have  taken  and  held  the  crest  which  my  brigade  of  1,200 
attempted  to  reach  and  hold. 

On  the  31st  ultimo  an  order  was  received  from  the  General 
commanding  division,  about  8  A.  M.,  to  advance  in  line,  with 
the  brigade  supporting  me  on  the  right  and  left.  The  brigade 
was  promptly  put  in  motion,  formed  in  two  lines,  as  follows: 
The  Second  Kentucky  and  Thirty-first  Indiana  Volunteers  (un 
der  general  charge  of  Colonel  Sedgwick  as  ranking  officer)  con 
stituting  the  front  line,  and  First  Kentucky  and  Xintieth  Ohio 
(under  general  charge  of  Colonel  Enyart  as  ranking  officer) 


40  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

forming  the  second  line;  Captain  Stand  art's  artillery  was  formed 
in  half-battery  on  each  flank  of  the  front  line.  The  brigade, 
by  this  formation,  exhibited  a.  front  of,  say,  600  men  more  or  less 
than  a  full  regiment.  Colonel  Hazen's  Brigade  was  in  position 
on  my  left  and  rear,  and  brigades  of  General  Negley's  Division 
on  the  right.  Upon  giving  orders  to  advance,  my  skirmishers 
ran  rapidly  forward  from  the  wood,  and  engaged  those  of  the 
enemy  in  the  open  field.  They  drove  them,  and  my  front  line 
advanced  promptly  up  to  the  rail  fence  in  the  margin  of  the 
woods.  The  enemy  pushed  toward  us  rapidly,  and  charged  my 
line  in  great  force  and  in  solid  rank.  The  fight  became  very 
severe  and.  obstinate  about  9  o'clock  A.  M.  My  troops  fought 
with  heroism.  Every  officer  and  soldier  acted  well,  and  seemed 
to  me  to  accomplish  more  than  could  be  expected  of  him.  For 
sturdy  endurance,  stalwart  bravery,  and  manly  courage,  it  does 
not  seem  to  me  that  the  conduct  of  these  two  regiments  here 
could  be  surpassed.  The  enemy  were  driven  back,  although 
superior  in  numbers.  His  charge  was  made  in  two  lines,  with 
the  appearance  of  a  four-rank  formation,  and  in  most  admirable 
order  and  discipline. 

After  the  first  repulse,  and  before  my  line  could  be  ad 
vanced,  the  enemy  made  a  second  charge  (reserving  fire  until 
a  close  approach  was  had),  which  was  more  furious  than  be 
fore.  The  Second  Kentucky  and  Thirty-first  Indiana  nobly 
held  their  ground,  and,  after  some  thirty  minutes'  well-directed 
fire,  drove  him  back  again  for  a  short  distance.  A  respite  of 
a  few  minutes  in  active  firing  enabled  me  to  execute  a  passage 
of  lines  to  the  front,  to  relieve  the  first  line,  the  ammunition 
of  which  was  nearly  exhausted.  This  maneuver  was  well  ex 
ecuted,  considering  that  it  was  done  under  a  brisk  fire  of  the 
enemy's  skirmishers,  the  crossfire  of  flanking  parties  that  had 
already  passed  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  line,  and  in  face  of 
two  of  the  enemy'  batteries. 

The  rear  line,  now  front,  was  soon  actively  engaged.  I  at 
tempted  with  it  to  assail  the  enemy,  and  ordered  an  advance. 
The  first  Kentucky,  Colonel  Enyart,  on  the  right  of  the  line, 
made  a  gallant  charge,  and  drove  the  enemy  before  it,  rush- 


///  ///<    }]'.(,'  of  ///-  7A-/W/ ;/>,/.  41 

ing  forward  to  the  crest  of  the  hill,  clear  beyond  and  to  the 
right  of  the  burnt  house.  The  fire  was  so  severe  from  the 
enemy's  force  at  the  burnt  house,  on  the  left,  that  the  order 
to  move  up  the  Ninetieth  Ohio  was  countermanded;  not,  how 
ever,  until  many  of  the  officers  and  men  of  this  gallant  regi 
ment  had  pressed  forward  over  the  fence  in  line  with  the  old 
First  Kentucky. 

The  sad  list  of  the  killed  and  wounded  of  the  Ninetieth 
and  First  Eegiments  speaks  loudly  of  the  courage  and  man 
hood  they  evinced  in  this  charge.  Standart,  with  his  gallant 
gunnel's,  was  throwing  in  grape  and  canister  from  the  flanks 
as  my  men  ran  forward  to  the  charge,  and  thinning  the  enemy's 
ranks.  He  was  too  strong  for  us,  however,  and  soon  my  gal 
lant  advance  was  beaten  back  to  the  point  of  woods.  This  point 
was  still  held.  The  brigade  on  the  left  was  never  pressed  up 
to  my  front,  and  left  me  exposed  from  this  quarter.  General 
Negley's  Brigade,  on  the  right,  first  advanced  with  my  men; 
but,  yielding  to  the  impulsive  charge  of  the  enemy,  broke  up, 
and  a  portion  of  it  drifted,  in  disorder,  immediately  to  my  rear, 
and  left  me  exposed  to  the  crossfire  of  the  enemy  from  the 
woods  on  the  right.  We  were  now  completely  flanked.  Our 
own  troops  impeded  my  retreat.  Cannon,  caissons,  artillery 
wagons,  and  bodies  of  men  in  wild  retreat,  filled  the  road  and 
woods  to  my  rear,  precluding  everything  like  proper  and  or 
derly  retreat.  Captain  Standards  artillery  ammunition  was  fail 
ing  rapidly.  He  was  shifting  front  constantly  to  keep  off  the 
enemy.  The  cartridges  of  my  men  were  becoming  short.  Mes 
sages  were  sent  to  the  rear  for  re-enforcements  and  for  the  re 
serve  brigade  of  the  division.  The  enemy's  fire  was  upon  three 
sides  of  my  position,  and  apparently  exactly  to  the  rear,  in  the 
woods.  It  was  impossible  to  get  ammunition  up,  to  communicate 
with  the  General  commanding  the  division,  or  to  obtain  re- 
enforcements. 

In  this  condition  the  ground  was  still  held  for  some  forty 
minutes  longer  than  seemed  right  or  proper.  My  cdmmand 
had  some  cover  in  the  edge  of  the  woods  from  the  enemy's  bul 
lets,  and  still  kept  up  a  fire  sufficiently  strong  to  keep  them  from 


42  The  Thirty-first  Indiana 

rushing  into  the  woods.  Seeing  my  little  brigade  failing  rapidly, 
and  many  of  its  best  men  earned  wounded  to  the  rear,  without 
hope  of  support  or  further  ability  to  hold  on,  I  withdrew  it  in 
as  good  order  as  practicable.  The  enemy  pressed  closely,  firing 
constantly  into  the  retreating  mass.  We  faced  to  rear,  and 
covered  the  retreat  of  General  Negley's  men  as  well  as  could 
be  done.  The  Second  Kentucky  Regiment  brought  off  three 
pieces  and  the  Ninetieth  Ohio  Volunteers  one  piece  of  aban 
doned  artillery,  by  hand,  which  the  enemy  were  rushing  upon 
and  about  to  capture. 

Standards  Battery  was  saved,  with  a  loss  of  three  men  and 
seven  horses.  It  had  but  sixteen  rounds  of  ammunition  when 
the  order  to  retire  was  given.  Upon  falling  back  to  the  edge 
of  the  woods  on  the  west  side,  I  met  Major-General  Thomas,  and 
reported  to  him,  and,  with  his  consent,  continued  to  fall  back 
across  the  open  ground  to  the  turnpike  with  my  shattered  forces,, 
now  numbering  about  500.  After  forming  in  line  along  the 
turnpike  (about  twelve  miles),  the  brigade  was  ordered,  by  a 
member  of  General  Rosecrans's  staff,  to  the  left,  to  support  a 
battery  on  the  railroad.  It  took  this  position,  and  held  it  dur 
ing  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  the  night  following. 

On  the  1st  instant  the  brigade  was  placed  in  line  on  the  right 
of  the  division,  in  the  rear  of  the  interval  between  the  First 
and  Third  Divisions.  After  remaining  thus  until  noon,  it  was 
advanced  to  the  front  to  support  Swallow's  (Indiana)  Battery, 
posted  on  a  commanding  elevation  to  the  left  of  the  railway, 
and  near  the  ford  across  Stone  River.  During  the  day  it  was 
exposed  to  occasional  shelling  from  the  enemy's  batteries.  On 
the  2d  instant  rude  breastworks  were  constructed  back  of  the 
batteries,  and  the  brigade  held  the  same  position  behind  them. 
It  lay  here  during  the  severe  fight  across  the  creek,  on  our  left,. 
supporting  the  batteries,  and  exposed  to  a  heavy  crossfire  from 
the  enemy's  guns.  A  higher  scene  of  cool,  moral  courage,  per 
haps,  has  not  been  evinced,  during  the  war,  than  that  exhibited 
by  my  brigade  on  this  memorable  day.  The  line  lay  still  and 
quiet  behind  the  frail  works  we  had  been  able  to  construct,, 
with  the  shot  and  shell  of  the  enemy  coming  from  three  di 
rection?,  and  bursting  above,  in  front  of  it,  and  all  around  it, 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  43 

our  own  massed  batteries  were  belching  out  their  con 
tents  in  front  of  and  over  it.  The  roar  of  artillery  was  terrific. 
The  smoke  from  our  own  pieces,  and  the  bursting  of  shell  of  the 
enemy,  at  times  obscured  the  line  from  our  view.  By  some 
wonderful  Providence  but  three  men  of  the  brigade  were  killed 
here  by  the  enemy's  shells. 

About  dark,  when  the  enemy  were  driven  upon  our  left, 
the  brigade  was  advanced  by  General  Palmer,  he  gallantly  lead 
ing  t\vo  regiments,  the  Thirty-first  Indiana  and  the  Ninetieth 
Ohio,  to  the  point  of  woods  a  half  a  mile  to  the  front  and  left 
of  our  artillery  position,  and  in  line  with  our  advance  on  the 
left,  across  the  creek.  I  followed  rapidly  with  the  residue  of 
the  brigade  across  the  open  field  to  the  General's  right,  and  on 
line  with  him.  Knowing  nearly  the  position  of  a  masked  bat 
tery  of  the  enemy,  hid  by  a  crest  in  the  field,  I  ordered  the  men 
to  cheer  loudly  as  wre  approached  the  latter.  It  had  nowr  be 
come  dark.  As  the  noise  of  the  last  cheer  died  away,  the  enemy 
opened  a  fire  of  shrapnel  from  four  small  guns.  The  line  im 
mediately  lay  down  under  shelter  of  the  crest,  and  for  some 
thirty  minutes  the  enemy  continued  to  play  at  us.  His  shot 
passed  just  over  our  heads,  and  struck  the  ground  not  to  ex 
ceed  one  hundred  feet  to  the  rear  of  our  line.  .  .  .  With 
assurance  of  esteem  to  the  Brigadier-General  commanding  the 
division,  I  am,  Captain,  very  truly  yours,  etc., 

CHARLES  CRUFT, 
CAPTAIN  NORTON,  Brigadier- General,  Commanding  First  Brigade. 

Acting  Ass't  Adjt.,  Second  Div.,  Left  Wing,  Fortieth  Army  Corps. 

The  casualties  of  the  regiment  in  this  engagement  were  five 
er  Ik-ted  men  killed;  one  officer  and  forty-four  enlisted  men 
wcunded:  three  officers  and  thirty-four  enlisted  men  missing; 
total,  loss,  eighty -seven. 

REPORT  OF  COLONEL  JOHN  OSBORN, 

THIRTY-FIRST  INDIANA  INFANTRY,  INCLUDING  SKIRMISH  AT  LAVERGXE,  DECEMBER  26TH. 

HEADQUARTERS  THIRTY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  INDIANA  VOLUNTEERS,  ) 
CAMP  NEAR  MURFREESBOROUGH,  TENN. ,  January  7,  1863. 

CAPTAIX, — I  have  the  honor  of  submitting  to  you  the  fol 
lowing  report  of  the  part  taken  by  this  regiment  in  the  late 
action  with  the  rebel  army  before  Murfreesborough,  commencing 


44  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

December  16,  1862,  at  the  town  of  Lavergne,  and  ending  befoae 
Murfreesborough,  January  3,  1863: 

Or  the  morning  of  December  26th,  when  the  United  States 
forces  were  put  in  motion,  our  regiment  was  on  picket  duty 
some  six  miles  southeast  of  Nashville.  Before  the  pickets  could 
be  called  in,  and  the  regiment  in  line  of  march,  the  brigade  to 
which  they  belonged  was  some  four  miles  in  advance.  The 
regiment  had  a  very  fatiguing  march  through  mud  and  rain. 
In  passing  the  forces,  we  had  to  take  the  fields;  that  made  the 
marching  more  arduous.  At  3  P.  M.  we  joined  the  brigade 
one  mile  west  of  La  Yergne.  We  were  at  once  ordered  to  the 
advance,  the  First  Kentucky  on  the  right,  and  our  regiment  on 
the  left,  the  Second  Kentucky  Regiment  and  the  Ninetieth  Ohio 
Regiment  our  support.  We  were  ordered  across  a  field  to  a 
woods  to  the  left  of  the  Murfreesborough  road.  Shortly  after 
we  had  taken  our  position,  the  enemy  commenced  throwing 
shell  into,  the  woods.  We  immediately  sent  out  two  companies 
(E  and  K),  and  deployed  them  as  skirmishers  in  advancfe  of  our 
line,  and  moved  on  the  enemy  in  line.  After  advancing  about 
one  mile,  we  came  in  reach  of  the  enemy's  guns.  They  opened 
a  heavy  fire  from  their  rifles  and  two  pieces  of  artillery,  which 
overreached  our  line.  Our  men  rushed  forward  with  a  shout, 
which  caused  the  enemy  to  leave  in  great  confusion.  We  then 
moved  a  short  distance  to  the  right,  and  bivouacked  for  the 
night.  Both  officers  and  men  conducted  themselves  with  cool 
ness  and  bravery,  without  receiving  any  injury  whatever. 

The  next  day  we  moved  forward  in  line  of  battle,  which 
was  continued,  from  day  to  day,  until  the  evening  of  December 
29th.  We  arrived,  at  nightfall,  within  a  few  miles  of  Murfrees 
borough,  our  brigade  filing  to  the  right  of  Murfreesborough 
pike,  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile,  when  we  bivouacked  for  the 
night.  Nothing  occurred  during  the  night,  except  heavy  skir 
mishing  in  our  front. 

1'arly  on  the1  morning  of  December  30,  1862,  we  were  or 
dered  forward  to  the  front  of  the  grove  in  which  we  were 
bivouacked,  which  order  was  promptly  executed,  our  regiment 
on  the  right,  and  the  Second  Kentucky  on  our  left,  the  Nine- 


In   tin1   W<n*  of  the  Rebellion.  45 

tieth  Ohio  supporting  the  Second  Kentucky,  and  the  First  Ken 
tucky  supporting  our  regiment.  Upon  arriving  at  this  position, 
I  \viis  ordered  by  you  to  report  to  Colonel  Sedgwick,  of  the 
Second  Kentucky,  who,  you  informed  me,  would  command 
the  front  line.  I  was  ordered  to  deploy  two  companies  in  front 
of  our  line  as  skirmishers,  connecting  with  a  like  corps  from 
Gv 'ii oral  Xcpgley's  Division  on  the  right,  and  the  Second  Ken 
tucky  on  the  left,  which  was  immediately  done  by  sending  out 
Companies  C  and  E.  Before  our  lines  were  established,  the 
enemy  opened  on  us  a  brisk  fire  of  shell  and  ball,  which  con 
tinued  all  day,  the  balls  of  the  enemies  sharpshooters  reaching 
our  lines.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  were  ordered 
to  advance  our  line  to  support  ,a  battery,  which  'was  done,  and 
we  remained  in  that  position  during  the  night,  Companies  A, 
B,  I,  D,  and  IT,  relieving,  alternately,  C  and  E  as  skirmishers. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  the  31st  we  were  again  ordered  to 
move  our  lines  to  support  a  battery,  which  was  done.  Shortly 
after  our  skirmishers  were  driven  in  by  the  enemy,  our  men 
reserving  their  fire  until  all  their  comrades  had  joined  the  line. 
At  this  time  a  heavy  force  of  the  enemy  appeared  in  our  front, 
in  an  open  field,  on  a  piece  of  rising  ground,  where  they  opened 
a  severe  fire  upon  our  line,  which  was  returned  with  steady 
nerve  by  our  men,  which  soon  made  them  fall  back.  In  a  few 
moments  they  again  returned  to  the  crest  of  the  field,  and  at 
tempted  to  charge  our  line,  but  the  steady  nerve  of  our  boys 
and  their  deadly  aim  caused  them  again  to  retire.  Our  men, 
getting  short  of  ammunition,  the  First  Kentucky  Kegiment 
came  to  our  aid,  and.  passing  our  line,  followed  the  enemy  up 
into  the  field;  but  the  heavy  force  of  the  enemy  in  front,  and 
the  regiment  being  exposed  to  a  crossfire  from  the  enemy's  bat 
teries,  they  were  compelled  to  fall  back  with  considerable  loss. 
Our  regiment  remained  in  its  former  position,  and  held  their 
fire  until  their  Kentucky  friends  had  passed  to  the  rear.  They 
again,  with  the  coolness  of  veterans,  poured  another  volley  into 
the  lines  of  the  enemy,  thinning  their  ranks,  and  making  them, 
the  third  time,  fall  back  to  their  former  hiding-place.  In  a 
short  time  the  enemy  changed  their  point  of  attack,  and  ap- 


46  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

peared.  in  great  force,  on  the  left  of  our  brigade,  and  on  the 
right,  between  our  regiment  and  General  Negley's  forces.  Both 
our  right  and  left  falling  back,  I  was  forced  to  order  the  regi 
me]  it  to  fall  back,  the  men  obeying  the  order  reluctantly,  and 
oar  left,  being  so  fur  turned  before  orders  to  fall  back  were  re 
ceived,  caused  our  list  of  missing  to  be  so  large.  We  were  also 
exposed  to  a  crossfire  of  the  enemy's  artillery. 

Our  regiment  occupied  the  front  line  from  the  morning 
of  the  30th  until  11  A.  M.  on  the  31st,  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  moments,  when  the  First  Kentucky  occupied  the  front. 
The  brigade,  falling  back  through  a  dense  growth  of  cedar,  be 
came  scattered  somewhat,  but  were  formed  again  in  line  ready 
for  any  emergency. 

!Next  morning,  January  1st,  the  regiment,  with  the  brigade, 
took  a  position  farther  to  the  left,  as  a  reserve.  January  2d 
the  regiment  again  took  a  front  position,  sending  out  Company 
F  as  skirmishers,  and,  during  this  day,  they  lay  in  rifle-pits, 
exposed  to  a  terrific  fire  from  the  enemy's  artillery.  Late  in  the 
evening  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith  and  Captain  J.  T.  Smith, 
Acting  Major,  with  General  Palmer,  led  them  in  a  splendid 
charge  on  the  enemy,  cleaning  out  a  piece  of  woods  occupied 
by  them  in  force,  both  officers  and  men  acting  heroically,  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  brave  General. 

I  can  not  close  this  report  without  calling  your  attention  to 
the  gallant  conduct  of  the  officers  under  my  command  during 
the  action.  Lieutenant- Colonel  Smith  was  always  on  the  alert, 
cheering  the  men,  passing  along  the  line  of  skirmishers  and  the 
regiment;  wherever  duty  called  him,  there  he  was,  during  the 
whole  engagement.  Captain  Smith,  Acting  Major,  was  always 
at  his  post,  calm  and  collected,  cheering  the  men,  and  directing 
them  where  to  strike  the  hardest  blow.  Captain  Hollowell, 
Acting  Adjutant,  was  always  on  duty,  visiting  the  outposts, 
and  cheering  the  men,  and  where  the  balls  flew  thickest,  he 
appeared  the  oftenest.  Captain  Waterman,  of  Company  A— 
I  can  not  speak  too  highly  of  his  bravery.  When  one  of  his 
men  fell,  he  picked  up  his  gun,  and  nobly  .kept  it  still  in  use. 
Captains  Neff,  of  Company  D,  and  Grimes,  of  Company  G, 
were  always  at  their  posts,  discharging  their  whole  duty.  Lieu- 


In  the  War  of  1h<    /A /"///"//.  47 

tenants  Picket,  of  Company  B,  Ray,  of  Company  C,  Scott,  of 
Company  E,  LeaseJ  of  Company  F,  Brown,  of  Company  H, 
Pike,  of  Company  I,  and  Hager,  of  Company  7\,  were  in  com 
mand  o.:  their  respective  companies  during  the  whole  action, 
and  conduded  themselves  like  old  veterans,  cheering  their  men, 
and  directing  them  to  fire  with  deliberation. 

Lieutenant  Ford,  of  Comapny  A,  after  the  regiment  fell 
back,  on  the  morning  of -the  31st,  after  Captain  Waterman 
was  missing:,  took  command  of  his  company,  and  nobly  imi 
tated  the  gallant  conduct  of  his  veteran  Captain.  Lieutenants 
Clark,  of  Company  D,  Hatfield,  of  Company  H,  Brown,  of 
Company  F,  Fielding,  of  Company  E,  Roady  an  1  McPhetridge. 
of  Company  G,  and  Haviland,  of  Company  B,  were  at  their 
places  throughout  the  whole  action,  vying  with  each  other  in 
noble  deeds  of  valor. 

Assistant  Surgeon  Morgan  was  ever  attentive  to  his  pro 
fession,  close  in  the  rear  of  the  regiment.  Close  thereby  he 
established  his  hospital,  and  refused  to  leave  the  wounded  sol 
diers,  but  nobly  remained  with  them,  suffering  himself  to  be 
taken  prisoner  rather  than  leave  them  to  suffer.  The  same  is 
also  true  in  regard  to  Dr.  McKinney,  Hospital  Steward,  who 
was  also  taken  prisoner. 

I  can  not  speak  in  too  high  terms  of  the  conduct  of  Sergeant- 
Ma  j  or  !N"oble,  who  gallantly  buckled  on  the  cartridge-box,  and 
took  a  rifle,  and  was  in  the  front  rank  of  the  line,  dealing  out 
lead  pills  for  the  secesh.  Sergeant  Douglass,  of  Company  K, 
who  was  discharging  the  duties  of  a  Lieutenant,  was  active  in 
leading  his  brave  men  to  the  post  of  honor.  And,  indeed,  it 
is  not  necessary  for  me  to  speak  of  individuals;  every  com 
missioned  officer  and  non-commissioned  officer  and  private  of 
my  command  did  his  whole  duty,  without  an  exception,  as  did 
all  the  officers  that  came  under  my  notice  of  the  entire  brigade. 
Brigadier-General  Cruft  was, at  his  post,  ever  watchful  of  his 
command,  fearing  no  danger  where  duty  called  him;  frequently 
riding  along  the  line,  waving  his  hat  and  cheering  his  command 
in  the  hottest  of  the  contest.  'Of  the  few  killed  on  the  field, 
three  were  of  the  color-guard.  JOHN  OSBORX, 

Colonel  Commanding  Thirty-first  Regiment,  Indium*   Volunteers. 


48  .          The  Tlilrlij-lii'xi   In<t/<ma  Regiment 

General  John  M.  Palmer,  in  his  report  of  the  battle  of 
Stone  River,  speaking  of  the  action  on  December  31st,  says: 
"I  only  saw  the  regiments  of  Craft's  Brigade  fighting  early  in 
the  day.  I  had  no  fears  for  them  where  valor  covild  win.'7  In 
relation  to  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  January  2d,  he  says:  "The 
First  Brigade  (Craft's)  was  posted  to  support  a  battery  on  the 
hill  near  the  ford.  During  the  heavy  cannonading  the  brigade 
maintained  its  position  with  perfect  coolness.  While  the  en 
gagement  was  going  on  across  the  river,  a  rebel  force  of  what 
seemed  to  be  three  small  regiments  entered  the  clump  of  woods 
in  front  of  the  position  of  our  batteries  on  the  hill  near  the  ford. 
I  ordered  up  two  of  Graft's  regiments,  and  upon  approaching 
the  woods  halted  them — told  them  it  was  my  purpose  to  clear 
the  woods  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  To  get  the  proper  direc 
tion  guides  were  thrown  out,  the  proper  changes  made,  bayonets 
were  fixed,  and  these  two  regiments,  the  Thirty-first  Indiana  and 
the  Ninetieth  Ohio,  ordered  to  clear  the  woods. 

"They  went  in  splendidly.  It  was  done  so  quickly  that  the 
rebels  had  hardly  time  to  discharge  their  pieces.  They  fled  with 
the  utmost  speed.  These  regiments  behaved  handsomely." 

In  this  charge  I  only  know  of  one  man  being  killed — Ser 
geant  Henry  D.  Lehman,  of  Company  F,  a  splendid  soldier 
and  a  good  man  every  way.  We  held  this  ground  until  towards 
midnight,  and  returned  to  our  position  near  the  batteries  on  the 
hill,  where  we  remained  until  the  retreat  of  the  enemy. 

After  the  Thirty-first  and  Second  Kentucky  had  taken  po 
sition,  on  the  morning  of  the  31st,  in  front  of  the  cedar  woods, 
and  near  the  "natural  well,"  and  after  the  skirmishers  had  been 
sent  out,  it  was  suggested  by  the  Acting  Major  the  building  of 
a  stone  fence  or  wall  for  breastworks.  The  men  laid  down  their 
guns  and  went  to  work,  and  in  a  few  minutes  you  would  have 
thought  that  every  man  was  a  natural-born  stonecutter,  and  that 
each  one  was  a  master-builder.  A.  rail  fence  in  our  front  was 
thrown  down,  and  by  the  time  our  skirmishers  were  driven  in, 
our  position  was  next  to  impregnable.  We  were  here  attacked 
by  the  brigade  of  rebel  General  J.  R.  Chalmers,  consisting  of 
the  Seventh,  Ninth,  Tenth,  and  Forty-first  Mississippi  Regiments 


///  //„    !(',/,•  of  the  Rebellion;  4<J 

and  Blythe's  Mississippi  Kegiment,  together  with  the'  Ninth 
Mississippi  Battalion  of  sharpshooters.  The  first  charge  made, 
Chalmers  was  Carried  off  the  field  so  severely  wounded  he  did 
no  further  duty.  The  charge  was  repulsed  with  fearful  slaugh 
ter.  It  made  a  second  charge,  and  the  result  was  that  the  brigade 
was  so  completely  wiped  out  that  the  organization  was  destroyed. 
Chalmers's  brigade  was  supported  by  the  brigade  of  General 
D.  S.  Donelson,  consisting  of  the  Eighth,  Sixteenth,  Thirty- 
eighth,  Fifty-first,  and  Eighty-fourth  Tennessee  Kegiments. 
After  Chalmers's  total  defeat — almost  destruction — Donelson's 
Brigade  came  up  with  deliberate,  steady  step;  but  General  Polk, 
in  his  report,  says  the  slaughter  was  terrific.  The  Eighth  Ten 
nessee  lost  306  out  of  425,  the  colonel  of  the  regiment  being 
killed.  The  Sixteenth  Tennessee  lost  207  out  of  402.  Polk 
says:  "All  the  line  in  their  front  was  carried,  except  the  extreme 
right  of  Palmer's  Division.  This  point,  which  was  the  key  to 
the  enemy's  position,  and  which  was  known  as  the  'Kound 
Eorest,'  was  attacked  by  the  right  of  the  (Donelson)  brigade. 
It  was  met  by  a  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery  which  mowed 
down  half  its  number." 

In  consequence  of  the  terrible  slaughter  of  Chalmers's  Bri 
gade,  which  were  all  Mississippians,  that  part  of  the  battle-field 
is  known  as  "Mississippi  Half  Acre."  When  we  went  into  po 
sition  here  in  the  morning,  we  connected  with  Negley's  com 
mand  on  our  right,  and  with  Ilazen's  Brigade  on  our  left.  There 
had  been,  however,  quite  a  gap  between  Cruft's  Brigade  and 
Hazen's,  and  besides  Hazen's  Brigade  was  not  as  far  advanced 
to  the  front  as  that  of  Cruft.  This  gap,  however,  was  covered 
by  the  Brigade  of  Gross,  who  was  held  as  support  to  Hazen.  We 
held  our  position  here  after  the  repulse  of  Chalmers  and  Donel 
son's  Brigades  until  Negley's  right  had  been  so  far  turned  that 
the  line  of  battle  stood  at  right  angles  with  our  line.  In  the 
meantime  the  ammunition  of  the  Thirty-first  and  Second  Ken 
tucky  having  been  about  exhausted,  an  attempt  was  made  to 
relieve  them  by  sending  in  the  First  Kentucky  to  take  the  place 
of  the  Thirty-first,  and  the  Ninetieth  Ohio  to  relieve  the  Sec.ond 
Kentucky.  When  the  First  Kentucky  had  nearly  reached  our 
4 


50  Tin-   77/ //7//7 ///•*/   ImJtumi   Ii>((hii€nt 

position,  the  Colonel  gave  command  to  charge.  The  Thirty-first 
was  ordered  to  lie  down,  and  the  First  Kentucky  charged  im 
mediately  over  us.  and  actually  carried  a  few  members  of  the 
Thirty-first  with  it,  who  had  not  heard  the  command  to  lie 
down.  The  First  Kentucky  soon  encountered  such  an  unequal 
force,  and  being  exposed  to  a  crossfire  of  both  musketry  and 
artillery,  that  it  rapidly  fell  back,  and  again  charged  over  the 
Thirty-first,  closely  followed  by  double  lines  of  the  enemy.  As 
soon  as  the  First  Kentucky  had  all  passed  to  the  rear,  the  Thirty- 
first  gave  the  enemy  such  a  deadly  volley  that  they  fell  back 
as  rapidly  as  they  had  come.  Gross's  Brigade,  which  was  in 
reserve  to  our  left,  in  rear  of  Hazen,  had  been  "about-faced" 
to  re-enforce  ^egley,  who  soon  repulsed  the  enemy  in  our  rear, 
but  leaving  the  gap  between  the  brigades  of  Cruft  and  Ilazen 
open  and  unguarded,  which  let  the  enemy  in  on  our  left,  and 
soon  we  would  have  been  completely  surrounded.  I  looked  for 
•our  support,  and  found  it  was  gone.  It  was  self-evident  that  the 
time  had  fully  come  for  us  to  get  out;  hence  orders  were  given 
to  the  regiment  to  get  back  through  the  cedar  woods,  every 
fellow  for  himself,  and  rally  at  the  railroad.  The  regiment  all 
started,  except  a  portion  of  two  companies  on  the  right.  I  at 
tempted  to  ride  up  to  them  to  repeat  the  command,  the  rattle 
of  battle  being  so  terrific  that  it  was  difficult  to  make  yourself 
heard.  But  the  impudent  Johnnies  ordered  me  to  surrender. 
This,  however,  I  declined  to  do,  and  took  to  the  bushes.  I  passed 
out  through  the  wood  a  little  to  the  left  from  the  way  most  of 
the  regiment  had  gone,  and  after  getting  about  to  the  middle  of 
the  woods,  my  attention  was  called  to  the  report  of  a  gun  very 
near  at  hand.  To  my  dismay  I  discovered  quite  a  large  rebel, 
soldier,  and  just  about  the  same  time  he  discovered  me.  He 
immediately  sprang  behind  a  tree,  and  began  to  reload  his  gun. 
Just  at  this  time,  and  in  the  very  nick  of  time,  John  S.  Moore 
came  running  up,  and  said,  "Get  out  of  here  quick."  I  at  once 
pointed  out  to  him  the  Johnnie  behind  the  tree,  the  tree  not 
being  quite  large  enough  to  completely  hide  him,  the  point  of 
one  shoulder  being  considerably  exposed.  Moore  laid  his  gun 
on  a  cedar  limb,  and,  deliberately  taking  aim,  fired.  The 


///  ////    Win*  of  1h<    H*  J>,  //Jon.  51 

Johnnie  fell,  and  then  we  did  not  stand  on  the  order  of  our 
going,  but  we  went.  In  getting  out  of  the  woods  I  found  Gen 
eral  Rousseau  planting  a  battery,  which  had  no  support  what 
ever.  He  wanted  to  know  where  my  command  was,  and  I  told 
him  up  on  the  railroad.  He  requested  me  to  bring  it  down  to 
support  his  battery,  which  I  agreed  to  do,  and  galloped  over  to 
the  road,  where  I  found  the  regiment  in  line,  and  we  double- 
quicked  back  to  the  battery,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
the  General  give  the  enemy  grape,  canister,  shrapnel,  shell, 
and  solid  shot  effectively.  This  closed  the  fighting  as  a  regiment 
for  the  last  day  of  the  year  1802.  The  official  reports  detail 
pretty  correctly  the  transactions  of  the  regiment  during  the  rest 
of  the  engagement. 

There  is  a  mystery  in  connection  with  the  official  report  of 
the  battle  of  Stone  River.  The  Colonel  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
had  both  been  more  or  less  indisposed,  and  for  several  days  both 
had  been  excused  from  duty  by  the  surgeon.  About  December 
8,  1862,  the  commissioned  officers  of  the  regiment,  by  an  elec 
tion,  recommended  me  for  promotion  to  Major.  Hence  I  was 
detailed  a  few  days  before  the  battle  to  act  as  Major.  The  Col 
onel  and  Lieutenant-Colonel,  however,  had  remained  most  of  the 
time  with  the  command,  and  both  were  with  us  for  a  while  on 
the  morning  of  December  31st;  but  I  did  not  see  either  of  them 
after  we  fell  back  through  the  cedar-grove  until  after  the  battle 
was  over,  the  command  of  the  regiment  being  in  my  hands.  A 
few  clays  after  the  battle  the  Colonel  requested  me  to  assist  him 
in  making  his  report.  Soon  after  the  report  was  forwarded  it 
was  returned,  with  an  order  for  the  man  to  make  the  report  who 
had  commanded  the  regiment.  I  then  re-wrote  the  report,  mak 
ing  very  few  changes,  all  of  which  the  Colonel  approved.  I 
signed  the  report  as  commanding  regiment,  and  forwarded  it. 
Spme  time  afterwards,  General  Cruft,  with  a  view  to  compliment 
me,  remarked  that  he  would  have  sent  all  the  reports  made  to 
him  back,  if  he  had  thought  there  would:  have  been  like  im 
provement  on  them.  As  I  had  written  both  reports,  I  did  not 
very  highly  appreciate  the  compliment.  But  I  have  always 
supposed  that  the  official  report  of  the  transactions  of  the  regi- 


.VJ  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

ment  in  this  battle  was  made  by  me,  but  I  find  that  the  report 
on  record  was  made  by  Colonel  John  Osborn,  and  it  is  not  the 
one  written  by  me  for  him  either. 

During  this  engagement  the  Thirty-first  Regiment  was  a 
part  of  the  First  Brigade,  Brigadier-General  Charles  Cruft  com 
manding;  Second  Division,  Brigadier-General  John  M.  Palmer; 
left  wing  Fourteenth  Corps,  Major-General  Thomas  L.  Crit- 
tenden. 

A  few  days  after  the  battle,  the  Thirty-first  Regiment,  to 
gether  with  the  brigade,  moved  out  to  Cripple  Creek,  some  eight 
miles  east  of  Murfreesboro,  and  went  into  camp,  where  it  re 
mained  until  the  24th  of  June,  1863.  The  five  and  a  half 
months  we  spent  in  camp  here  on  the  banks  of  this  naturally 
deformed,  classic  stream  was  possibly  the  most  pleasant  of  our 
experience.  True,  we  were  on  picket  one-fourth  of  the  time, 
and  we  were  regularly  and  thoroughly  drilled.  Made  quite  a 
number  of  reconnaissances  and  foraging  expeditions.  £he 
weather  was  generally  pleasant,  our  supplies  were  abundant, 
and  the  enemy  had  received  such  terrible  punishment  at  Stone 
River  that  they  kept  at  a  safe  distance.  The  most  disagreeable 
encounter  the  writer  had  while  there  was  an  unprovoked  at 
tack  he  made  on  a  skunk.  The  loss  in  this  little  action  amounted 
to  a  valuable  suit  of  clothes.  On  one  occasion  the  Thirty-first 
went  out  as  a  guard  with  a  brigade  train  for  forage.  Some  five 
miles  southeast  of  camp  we  came  to  a  farm  and  a  nice  crib  of 
corn.  Orders  were  given  to  take  the  corn  without  disturbing 
the  building.  In  returning  from  putting  out  some  pickets,  we 
noticed  corn-cobs  in  the  fence-corners,  all  along  the  lane.  We 
immediately  w^ent  to  the  Negro  quarters,  and  inquired  of  an 
old  colored  woman  how  they  came  there,  and  were  informed 
that  a  regiment  of  rebel  cavalry  had  been  there  every  day  for 
more  than  a  week,  at  about  one  o'clock,  and  fed  their  horses. 
The  picket  force  was  at  once  doubled,  and  the  corn-crib  torn 
clown,  and  in  thirty  minutes  the  corn  was  all  loaded  into  our 
wagons.  We  prepared  papers  showing  the  amount  and  value 
of  the  corn  we  had  taken,  and  took  them  to  the  house  to  pre 
sent  to  the  good  woman;  but  we  did  not  find  her  in  a  very 
amiable  temper.  After  a  little  conversation,  we  wrote  "a  se- 


///   ///>:  HW  of  the  Rebellion.  53 

cessionist"  across  the  face  of  the  papers,  and  were  about  to  take 
our  leave,  when  some  of  the  boys  inquired  if  she  would  sell 
some  chickens.  She  said  they  were  all  for  sale  at  fifty  cents 
apiece.  A  chicken  was  caught,  and  she  was  offered  fifty  cents 
in  fractional  currency.  This  was  more  than  she  could  endure, 
and  she  fairly  stormed.  Some  one  showed  her  a  facsimile  Con 
federate  bill.  This  she  accepted  gladly,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
she  had  no  chickens,  but  plenty  of  facsimile.  Two  Captains  of 
the  regiment  made  an  arrangement  to  go  back  the  following 
Thursday  to  get  some  butter;  but  when  the  time  came,  they 
failed  to  procure  a  pass,  and,  in  consequence-  of  said  failure, 
they  were  quite  liberal  in  their  denunciations  of  the  regimental 
commander;  but  they  felt  quite  different  that  night  when  a 
little  colored  boy  came  in  with  a  message  from  the  colored 
folks,  not  to  come,  for  the  place  was  alive  with  rebels  waiting 
for  them. 

•  On  the  first  day  of  April  the  regiment,  in  connection  with 
some  other  troops,  were  sent  out  to  Woodbury  to  attack  some 
rebel  cavalry  that  Avere"  supposed  to  be  there.  We  made  a  night 
march,  and  came  on  to  the  enemy  early  in  the  morning.  After 
a  sharp  skirmish  we  captured  some  forty  prisoners,  one  sutler 
stand,  and  three  wagons  loaded  with  whisky  and  tobacco,  and, 
in  a  day  or  t\vo,  returned  to  camp. 

SUMMARY. 

From  May  4,  1862,  the  time  we  left  Corinth,  Mississippi, 
to  January  3,  1863,  the  close  of  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  was 
about  eight  months,  or  two  hundred  and  forty  days.  During 
all  this  time  the  regiment  was  considered  in  camp  ninety-nine 
days.  It  actually  had  its  tents  up  but  fifty-six  days,  leaving 
one  hundred  and  eighty-four  days  that  the  men  were  exposed 
to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  just  as  it  came,  without 
shelter  of  any  kind,  and  the  worst  weather  that  came  found  us 
without  our  tents,  and  on  short  rations. 

During  this  time  the  regiment  was  under  fire,  in  actual 
battle,  twelve  days,  beside  various  skirmishes  that  sometimes 
amounted  to  quite  a  respectable  little  battle. 

The  regiment  marched  from  Fort  Donelson  to  Fort  Henry; 


54'  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  R«j'u,,<nl 

then  went  by  boat  to  Pittsburg  Landing;  then  skirmished  and 
t'iiiiii'lit  its  way  to  Corinth;  then  marched  to  Booneville  and 
Jacinto,  Mississippi.  From  there  it  marched  to  luka  and  to 
Eastport,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Mississippi;  thence,  by  the 
way  of  Tuscnmbia,  Florence,  and  Rogersville,  to  Athens,  Ala 
bama;  thence  north  across  the  State  of  Tennessee,  passing 
through  Eeynolds  Station  and  Nashville,  to  Gallatin,  near  the 
Kentucky  State  line.  Thence  back  through  Nashville,  Mur- 
freesborough,  Liberty,  and  Smithville,  to  McMinnville,  near 
the  foot  of  Cumberland  Mountain.  Then  a  couple  of  days' 
march  up  into  the  mountain  and  return.  Then  we  start  out  on 
the  famous  Buell-Bragg  foot-race,  back  through  Nashville  to 
Louisville,  Kentucky;  then  to  the  Perry ville  battle-field;  and 
thence  through  Danville,  Stanaford,  Crab  Orchard,  Mount  Yer- 
non,  across  Rockcastle  River,  up  onto  Wildcat  Mountain,  to  Nel 
son's  Crossroads,  to  Goose  Creek  salt-works  in  Clay  County,  the 
southeast  part  of  Kentucky;  and  thence  back  through  Mount 
Vernon,  Somerset,  Columbia,  Glasgow,  Scottville,  to  Gallatin, 
Tennessee;  thence,  by  a  circuitous  route,  crossing  the  Cum 
berland  above  Nashville,  and  into  camp  near  Nashville;  and 
thence  to  the  battle-field  of  Stone  River,  near  Murfreesborough, 
having  marched,  in  the  meantime,  more  than  three  thousand 
miles'. 

During  this  time  the  regiment  was  on  detached  service,  and 
almost  entirely  alone  for  a  period  of  forty-one  days. 

The  most  laborious  marching  wre  had  'to  do  was  what  was 
called  "flanking."  The  troops  followed  the  road,  and  each  regi 
ment  would  detail  a  company,  one-half  of  which  were  thrown 
out  on  each  side  of  the  road,  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  and 
march  in  Indian  file,  keeping  as  near  the  same  distance  as 
possible  from  the  troops  in  the  road.  Of  course  fences,  hills,  and 
ravines  had  to  be  crossed,  streams  had  to  be  waded,  thickets  and 
brier  patches  had  to  be  penetrated,  and,  at  the  same  time,  you 
had  to  keep  up  with  the  troops  in  the  road. 

Another  laborious  duty,  one  that  got  to  be  quite  burdensome, 
was  "train  guarding."  When  at  any  point  away  from  the  depot 
of  supplies,  brigade  and  division  trains  would  be  sent,  and  troops 


JOSEPH  P.  STRATTON. 
COMPANY  D. 


ROBERT  K.  HOUPT. 
COMPANY  D. 


S.  D.  BAILEY 
COMPANY  D. 


LIEUTENANT  WM.   GID.  SMITH. 
COMPANY  F. 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  57 

detailed  to  guard  them.  The  trains,  of  course,  would  be  given 
the  road,  and  the  guards  would  have  to  march  as  best  they 
could,  and,  in  the  event  a  team  got  stuck  in  the  mud,  the  guards 
had  to  lay  down  their  guns,  and  put  their  shoulders  to  the  wheels. 
This  train  guarding  was  almost  an  every-day  business,  and  the 
Thirty-first  Regiment,  somehow,  was  lucky  in  getting  jobs  of  this 
kind  to  do.  I  do  not  suppose,  however,  that  on  this  line  we  did 
more  than  our  proportionate  share.  It  was  astonishing  to  see 
how  quick  a  wagon  could  be  repaired.  If  an  axle  should  break, 
with  scarcely  no  tools,  and  with  no  material  except  such  as  could 
be  picked  on  a  farm  where  the  rails  had  all  disappeared,  a  man 
or  two  would  go  to  work,  and  the  next  morning  the  wagon  would 
be  up  and  ready  for  use.  The  method  of  repairing  a  wheel  was 
different.  If  a  wheel  gave  way,  the  teamster  would  drive  to 
one  side  of  the  road,  and  wait  till  night,  and  then  look  out  for 
a  teamster  who  was  off  his  guard,  or  a  wagon  that  was  not  under 
the  immediate  eye  of  a  sentinel,  when  it  was  only  the  work  of 
a  moment  to  take  a  good  wheel  off  and  put  the  broken  one  on. 
I  have  heard  it  said  that  sometimes  a  wheel  would  be  carried 
five  miles  before  the  exchange  could  be  made.  It  was  insisted 
that  there  was  no  stealing  in  this,  for  the  wagons  all  belonged  to 
Uncle  Sam,  and  that  they  were  working  for  him.  Be  this  as 
it  may,  it  had  all  the  symptoms  of  stealing. 

The  24th  day  of  June,  1863,  we  struck  tents,  and  bid  fare 
well  to  Camp  Cripple  Creek,  moving  out  in  a  southeast  direc 
tion  until  we  came  to  the  Murfreesborough  and  Bradyville  pike, 
passing  Bradyville,  and  up  Dug  Hollow,  where  we  had  some 
pretty  heavy  skirmishing;  had  one  man  killed,  and  one  wounded. 
We  continued  our  march  toward  Manchester,  arriving  there 
the  evening  of  the  27th.  We  remained  here  a  few  days,  marched 
in  the  direction  of  Tullahoma,  until  we  got  to  Elk  River.  We 
remained  here  until  the  8th  of  July,  when  we  returned  with* 
the  division  to  Manchester,  and  went  into  camp  on  the  railroad. 
We  remained  here  until  August  16,  1862,  when  we  broke  camp, 
marched  out  on  the  McMinnville  Road,  following  it  until  the 
next  day,  and  turned  in  towards  the  mountain  on  the  road  to 
Dunlap.  We  waded  Colens  River  on  the  18th,  and  near  noon 


58  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

came  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  The  regiment  was  detailed 
to  assist  the  train  up  the  big  hill,  which  we  succeeded  in 
doing  soon  after  nightfall,  and  the  regiment  went  into  camp 
on  the  top  of  the  mountain  the  night  of  the  10th.  During  the 
forenoon  the  next  day  we  came  up  with  the  division,  and  moved 
on  across  the  mountain,  and  down  into  Sequatchie  Valley,  ar 
riving  at  Dunlap  in  the  evening  of  August  20th.  We  remained 
here  until  the  1st  of  September,  and  found  that  there  were  a 
large  number  of  Union  people  in  this  part  of  Tennessee.  They 
came  in,  in  large  numbers,  on  Sunday,  to  hear  Chaplain  Gilmore 
preach.  They  were  all  delighted  with  the  sermon,  and  many 
were  profoundly  impressed. 

The  first'  day  of  September  found  us  again  on  the  march, 
passing  down  the  valley,  and  through  the  town  of  Jasper,  and 
arriving  at  Shellmound,  on  the  Tennessee  Kiver,  on  the  evening 
of  the  3d,  at  nine  o'clock.  The  Thirty-first  was  ferried  across 
the  river  in  small  flatboats,  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  being 
the  first  troops  to  cross,  and  was  immediately  sent  out  on  guard 
or  picket  duty,  while  the  remainder  of  the  division  was  cross 
ing.  We  remained  here  at  Shellmound  until  the  5th,  and  what 
time  we  were  not  on  duty,  wre  were  diligently  putting  in  the  time 
exploring  Mckajack  Cave,  the  mouth  of  which  was  a  large, 
subterranean  cavity,  in  which  a  regiment  of  men  could  find 
perfect  shelter  and  safety  from  any  cyclone,  from  which  quite 
a  number  of  narrow  cavities  led  out  to  large  halls  or  rooms. 
It  was  said  that  large  quantities  of  salpeter  were  procured  here; 
but  the  works  were  quite  rude  and  simple,  consisting  mainly  of 
old-fashioned  ash-hoppers. 

BATTLE  OF  CHICAMAUGA. 

REPORT  OF  COLONEL  JOHN  T.  SMITH, 
THIRTY-FIRST  INDIANA  INFANTRY. 

HEADQUARTERS  THIRTY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  INDIANA  VOLUNTEERS,  ) 
CAMP  NEAR  CHATTANOOGA,  TENN.,  September  28,  1863.        j 
CAPTAIN  FAIRBANKS,  A.  A.  A.  G. : 

SIR, — I  have  the  honor  to  submit,  herewith,  a  report  of 
the  part  borne  by  the  Thirty-first  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry,  in  the  late  engagement  with  the  Confederate  forces 


In  the  Wai'  of  th<>  Rebellion.  59" 

under  command  of  General  Bragg,  on  the  Little  Chickaiuauga, 
near  Missionary  Kidge,  on  the  10th  and  20th  inst. 

We  crossed  the  Tennessee  River,  at  SLellmonnd,  on  the  night 
of  the  '3d  instant,  and  the  afternoon  of  the  .">th  we  moved  out 
on  the  river  road,  toward  Chattanooga,  and  at  10  o'clock  at 
night  we  bivouacked  in  Whiteside  Valley. 

Early  next  morning  we  moved  out  on  the  road  leading  to 
Knickerjaek  Pass,  finding  the  road  obstructed  by  the  falling 
of  trees,  which  we  soon  removed,  and  formed  a  junction  with 
General  Brannon's  Division  some  four  miles  from  Trenton, 
near  the  railroad  running  from  that  place  to  Chattanooga. 

On  the  7th  inst.  Company  K  was  detailed!  to  establish  and 
guard  a  signal  station  on  Lookout  Mountain;  but  before  they 
reached  the  summit  they  discovered  that  the  enemy  held  that 
point,  and  a  brisk  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  private  Andrew 
Case  was  slightly'  wounded.  The  Thirty-first  Regiment  and 
the  Ninetieth  Ohio  were  ordered  to  their  support;  but  the  com 
pany  having  cleared  its  front,  and  the  enemy  making  no  further 
resistance,  the  regiments  returned  to  camp.  This  reconnaissance 
discovered  Knickerjaek  Pass  and  its  practicability.  On  the  8th 
inst.  we  moved  down  the  Trenton  Valley  some  five  miles,  and' 
bivouacked  near  General  Wood's  Division.  At  9  o'clock  A.  M.,. 
on  the  9th  inst.  we  moved  in  the  direction  of  Chattanooga,, 
leaving  the  main  road  at  the  base  of  the  mountain;  we  bivouacked 
for  the  night  at  Rossville,  five  miles  south  of  Chattanooga. 

On  the  morning  of  the  10th,  at  3  o'clock,  the  Thirty-first 
was  thrown  forward  to  the  summit,  on  the  left  hand,  or  Ringgold 
road.  Here  we  captured  three  prisoners,  and  at  7  o'clock  A.  M» 
we  rejoined  the  brigade,  which  was  moving  in  the  direction  of 
Ring-gold.  We  halted  at  Peavine  Creek  at  11  o'clock  A.  M.,  and 
had  scarcely  stacked  arms  when  the  advance  guard  was  driven 
in.  The  Thirty-first  was  immediately  moved  forward,  Com 
panies  G  and  I  in  advance  as  skirmishers,  who  engaged  the 
enemy,  and  drove  him  some  two  miles,  the  regiment  following 
in  supporting  distance.  We  then  returned  to  Peavine  Creek, 
and  bivouacked  for  the  night.  Early  next  morning  we  moved 
out  via  Graysville,  to  Ringgold,  where  we  again  bivouacked, 
and  passed  the  night. 


60  The  Thirty-fast  Indiana  Regiment 

At  6  o\  lock  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  inst.  we  moved  out 
on  the  Lafayette  road,  and  came  to  the  enemy's  pickets,  some 
three  mibs  from  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mill,  which,  after  consider 
able  maneuvering,  were  driven  back,  and  we  passed  on  to  the 
mill,  where  we  bivouacked  for  the  night.  Early  next  morning 
our  pickets  were  driven  in,  and  the  day  was  spent  in  line  of 
battle  and  maneuvering;  but  the  enemy  making  no  further 
demonstration,  we  retiied  to  the  mill,  and  passed  the  night,  and 
remained  until  the  afternoon  of  the  1 5th  inst.,  when  we  moved 
some  three  miles  south  of  Crawfish  Springs,  near  Mathew's 
house.  The  afternoon  of  the  17th  we  moved  back  to  Ambro- 
cromby's  house,  a  distance  of  one  and  a  half  miles,  where  we  re 
mained  until  the  evening  of  the  18th,  when  we  moved  to  a  po 
sition  half  a  mile  north  of  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mill.  At  11  o'clock 
A.  M.  of  the  19th  we  moved'  down  the  Chattanooga  road  some 
one  and  one-half  miles,  or  to  McNamar's,  where  we  moved  by 
the  right  flank,  or  in  line,  Company  E  deployed  as  skirmishers, 
the  Second  Kentucky  on  our  right,  and  the  Ninetieth  Ohio  on 
our  left. 

We  had  moved  in  that  direction  but  a  few  rods  when  our 
skirmishers  engaged  those  of  the  enemy,  driving  them  some 
three-fourths  of  a  mile,  to  an  open  field,  beyond  which  we  found 
the  enemy  in  line  of  battle,  and  we  were  soon  engaged  in  a 
close  contest  for  some  two  hours,  expending,  on  an  average, 
fifty  rounds  of  ammunition  per  man,  and  driving  the  enemy  from 
our  front. 

We  then  retired  some  fifty  yards  to  the  woods,  where  we 
rested,  and  filled  up  our  cartridge-boxes. 

By  this  time  the  enemy  was  pressing  the  forces  on  the  right 
of  our  brigade.  We  were  ordered  to  change  front  perpendicular 
to  the  right;  but  just  as  this  movement  was  accomplished,  the 
troops  on  our  right  and  front  gave  way,  and  were  precipitated  on 
the  right  of  our  regiment,  closely  followed  by  a  heavy  column  of 
the  enemy.  We  then  attempted  to  withdraw,  but,  in  doing  so,  the 
regiment  became  somewhat  scattered,  but  were  soon  rallied,  and 
joined  in  a  charge  against  the  enemy,  repulsing  him  handsomely. 
After  holding  the  ground  for  some  time,  we  were  moved  to 


In  the  \\'<ir  <f  the  Rebellion.  (>1 

the  Chattanooga  road,  near  Kelly's  house,  where  we  prepared 
to  bivouac  for  the  night;  but  the. enemy  making  an  assault  on 
a  division  to  our  left,  we  were  moved  to  their  support.  On 
getting  into  position,  we  found  the  enemy  repulsed,  and  we 
were  ordered  to  rest  on  our  arms  for  the  night. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  20th  we  prepared  some  hasty 
defenses  of  logs  and  trees,  and  at  one-quarter  before  8  o'clock 
the  enemy  made  his  appearance  in  our  immediate  front,  and 
made  a  vigorous  assault  on  our  feeble  works.  He  was,  however, 
soon  repulsed,  but  renewed  the  attack  three  different  times,  but 
was  forced  to  retire,  severely  punished.  We  continued  to  hold 
our  position  during  the. day  until  5  o'clock  P.  M.,  when  we  were 
ordered  to  retire,  and,  in  doing  so,  had  to  pass  through  an  open 
field  under  a  most  terrific  shower  of  shot  and  shell.  This  move 
ment  was  conducted  with  perfect  order  and  self-possession. 
After  gaining  the  wood,  the  regiment  was  formed  in  line,  with 
the  brigade  facing  the  enemy,  amid  a  perfect  mass  of  scattered 
and  disordered  troops. 

Here  we  rested  for  nearly  an  hour,  when  we  marched 
leisurely  to  Rossville. 

During  the  engagement  of  the  19th,  Captain  William  J. 
Lease  fell,  mortally  wounded,  while  leading  his  command  in 
a  charge  against  the  enemy.  He  was  a  brave,  faithful  officer, 
and  had,  by  his  bravery  on  this  and  other  occasions,  won  the 
esteem  of  his  command  and  the  entire  regiment.  Color-Ser 
geant  John  West  was  killed  while  bearing  the  colors  before  the 
enemy.  ^vTo  sooner,  however,  had  he  fallen,  than  the  colors  were 
gathered  up  and  unfurled  by  Corporal  Jesse  R.  Dodd,  of  Com 
pany  F,  who  bravelv  carried  them  during  the  remainder  of  the 
day.  Lieutenant-Colonel  ^Xeff  was  struck  on  the  elbow  with  a 
spent  canister,  disabling  his  arm;  but  he  remained  on  the  field, 
always  at  his  pest.  Adjutant  !N"oble  was  slightly  wounded,  but 
continued  at  his  post  until  the  close  of  the  engagement.  Lieu 
tenant  Connelly  was  severely  wounded,  and  carried  off  the  field. 
Lieutenant  Haviland  received  a  slight  but  painful  wound,  and 
was  sent  to  the  rear.  The  company  commanders,  Captains 
Waterman,  Pickens,  Grimes,  Brown,  Hager,  Hallowell,  and 


62  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

Lieutenants  Morris,  Mason,  Brown,  and  Scott  all  maneuvered 
their  commands  successfully,  and  acquitted  themselves  with 
much  gallantry.  Lieutenants  Roddy,  Hatfield,  Ford,  Powers, 
Douglas,  Fielding,  Wells,  and  McKinzie  were  all  cool,  faithful 
and  brave,  and  rendered  much  efficient  service.  Chaplain  Gill- 
more  was  constantly  on  the  field  attending  to  the  wounded,  and 
was  much  exposed,  having  his  horse  killed. 

Assistant  Surgeon  McTCiimey  was  on  the  field,  and  rendered 
all  the  assistance  in  his  power. 

I  can  not  express  terms  of  praise  too  high  for  the  conduct 
of  my  entire  command.  During  the  whole  of  the  campaign 
they  evinced  a  spirit  of  endurance  and  bravery  unexcelled, 
which  was  truly  gratifying  to  myself  as  well  as  creditable  to 
them. 

Appended  you  will  find  a  list  of  casualties. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

I  am,  sir,      Your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  T.  SMITH, 

Colonel  Commanding. 

In  this  engagement  Sergeant  John  West,  of  Company  A,  a 
color-bearer,  was  killed,  and  Corporal  Marston  Gibbons  and 
privates  Warren  Brockway,  James  H.  Laverty,  Robert  H.  Water 
man,-  and  William  M.  Elmore  were  wounded.  In  Company  B 
Lieutenant  Stephen  S.  Haviland,  First  Sergeant  Robert  T. 
McKee, 'and  Sergeants  John  H.  Neese  and  Lorenzo  D.  Gard, 
and  privates  Lewis  G.  Lybarger  and  Andrew  J.  Pool  were 
wounded.  The  wounded  of  Company  C  were  Andrew  J.  New 
ton  (mortally).  Corporals  Thomas  Green  and  John  G.  Malory, 
and  privates  John  C.  Arterburn,  William  H.  H.  Gray,  Isaac 
O.  Lowe,  Jahiel  F.  Joslin,  and  James  J.  Ferguson.  In  Com 
pany  D  there  were  wounded  Corporal  William  L.  Knotts  and 
privates  William  J.  Bilyew,  William  A.  Bland,  and  William 
Cowden.  In  Company  E,  Carlton  B.  Lyon  was  killed,  and  Will 
iam  B.  Cochran,  Tilghinan  Moore,  Oliver  B.  Lochman,  and 
John  Runey,  all  privates,  were  wounded.  Of  Company  F,  Cap 
tain  William  J.  Lease  and  Robert  Clayton  were  killed,  and 
David  M.  Stuckey,  John  Guthrey,  W.  B.  S.  Maddox,  M.  E. 


In  tin    }\'<tr  of  the  RdxU',0,,.  63 

Harrison,  T.  J.  Garrett,  W.  II.  II.  Welch,  John  S.  Moore,  and 
James  Sanders  were  wounded.  Company  G  had  First  Sergeant 
David  C.  Hunter,  and  Sergeant  Albert  L.  Waugh,  and  privates 
George  W.  Elkins,  Alonzo  Clark,  Joseph  Woolery,  Hezekiah 
Axam,  Archibald  Harper,  Levi  X.  Rhorer,  and  Ayers  Ellsbury 
wounded.  Of  Company  H,  Corporal  Hiram  Lackey  and  privates 
James  M.  Lancaster,  James  E.  Wilson,  and  Mason  Beatty  were 
wounded.  In  Company  I,  Lieutenant  Jesse  B.  Connelly  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  head,  and  Sergeant  Norval  W.  Cum- 
niings  was  wounded  in  the  thigh,  Corporal  Lancelot  C.  Eubank 
was  wounded  in  the  head,  Moses  T.  Kelly  severely  wounded  in 
the  face,  Eli  C.  Brattain  in  the  arm,  James  R.  Adams  in  the 
thigh,  William  C.  Adams  in  the  face,  Silas  Dark  in  the  hand, 
Otterbin  G.  Beard  in  the  arm,  Thomas  Elzy  in  the  leg,  Sidney 
A.  Seymour  in  the  leg,  and  John  W.  Jackson  in  the  head.  In 
Company  K,  John  Day,  Pleasant  W.  Watts,  and  William  A. 
Kendricks,  privates,  were  wounded. 

Samuel  Thomas  and  William  Posey,  of  Company  D,  and 
William  H.  Bennett,  of  Company  I,  were  missing  in  action, 
and  not  being  heard  of  afterwards,  they  are  supposed  to  be  dead. 
Josiah  D.  Crist,  of  Company  F,  died  in  Andersonville,  Georgia, 
May  13,  1864,  and  Fred.  Snellenberger,  of  Company  I,  died 
at  the  same  place,  both  having  been  captured  in  this  engage 
ment.  David  M.  Stuckey,  of  Company  F,  who  was  shot  in 
the  breast,  the  ball  lodging  against  the  skin  on  his  back,  and 
who  lay  in  the  open  weather  eleven  days,  was  reported  dead; 
but  he  was  afterwards  brought  into  Chattanooga,  and,  at  this 
date,  still  lives.  Captain  Lease  had  a  presentiment  that  he 
would  be  killed  on  the  19th,  the  first  day's  fight.  He  gave  me 
his  pocket-book  and  a  message  for  his  wife.  I  tried  to  prevail 
on  him  that  he  was  laboring  under  some  kind  of  a  foolish  hallu 
cination,  but  he  persisted  in  the  declaration  that  this  was  his  last 
day  to  live.  I  told  him  that  I  did  not  see  that  I  could  send 
him  to  the  rear, 'and  he  replied  that  there  was  no  way,  that  he 
had  looked  over  the  whole  ground,  and  there  was  no  way  to 
get  back  honorably,  and  that  he  would  die  before  he  would  go 
back  dishonorably.  I  spoke  to  him  late  in  the  afternoon,  after 


64  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

we  had  repulsed  the  enemy,  that  he  was  getting  along  all  right, 
to  which  he  replied  that  his  time  had  not  quite  come  yet,  and, 
in  less  than  an  hour,  he  had  received  a  mortal  wound.  When 
the  Captain  fell,  First  Sergeant  Gilbert  Liston  took  command 
of  the  company,  and,  with  fidelity  and  ability,  discharged  the 
duties  of  Captain  during  the  remainder  of  the  engagement 
After  the  brigade  got  back  near  Rossville,  it  being  late  in 
the  night,  we  procured  plenty  of  water  for  the  first  time  since 
the  battle  began.  We  bivouacked  here  for  the  night,  having 
fallen  back  five  miles.  We  had  left  our  dead  and  many  of  our 
wounded  on  the  battle-field.  The  night  was  dark,  and  we  found 
the  road  strewn  with  wounded  men,  being  assisted  along  by 
their  comrades  as  best  they  could. 

About  S  o'clock  A.  M.  the  21st,  we  again  formed  in  line 
of  battle  on  Mission  Ridge,  but  it  was  near  noon  before  skir 
mishing  began,  and  during  the  afternoon  we  had  considerable 
heavy  cannonading.  A.  detail  was  made  from  each  regiment 
for  picket  duty,  and  I  was  put  in  command  of  the  pickets  of 
the  division.  About  10  P.  M.  we  received  orders  to  report 
in  person  to  headquarters,  and,  after  being  put  under  the  most 
solemn  obligations  of  secrecy,  were  told  that  the  command  would 
soon  move  out,  and  that  I  could  either  go  with  it,  or  remain 
until  2  o'clock,  and  try  to  take  off  the  men  on  picket.  I  chose 
to  remain;  but  very  soon  the  men  on  picket  grew  suspicious, 
.and  declared  the  army  was  gone.  The  enemy  was  moving  up, 
adjusting  and  establishing  his  lines  in  dangerous  proximity. 
From  twelve  to  two  o'clock  were  the  longest  two  hours  we  ever 
experienced.  But  the  time  finally  arrived,  and  the  pickets 
were  called  together,  and  we  went  up  to  the  place  where  head 
quarters  had  been;  but  now  we  were  lost.  We  did  not  know 
which  way  to  go;  did  not  know  north  from  south  or  east  from 
west.  The  men  were  deployed,  and  began  to  feel  the  ground 
for  the  track  of  the  artillery.  The  ground-in  the  woods  being 
rather  soft,  we  had  but  little  trouble  in  getting  out  to  the  road. 
But  here  we  confronted  a  still  more  serious  trouble.  We  did 
not  know  which  end  of  the  road  to  take.  We  got  out  of  this 
by  supplying  the  men  with  matches,  deployed  them  along  the 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  65 

road,  and  lighting  the  matches,  being  careful  to  keep  the  light 
concealed  as  much  as  possible,  and  examining  to  see  which  way 
the  artillery  turned  when  it  reached  the  road.  This  expedient 
was  a  perfect  success,  and  soon  we  were  making  good  time  to 
wards  Chattanooga.  We  passed  off  of  Missionary  Ridge  into 
Chattanooga  valley  just  at  break  of  day,  and  had  gone 
probably  half  a  mile  into  the  valley  by  the  time  it  was  fully 
light.  We  then  could  look  back  and  see  the  ridge  occupied 
by  the  enemy's  cavalry.  We  joined  the  brigade  amid  much 
rejoicing,  and  soon  ate  a  square  meal;  and  it  was  well  we  did, 
for  it  was  not  long  until  plenty  to  eat  could  not  be  procured. 
The  morning  of  the  22d,  soon  after  breakfast,  the  troops  be 
gan  to  move  out  and  take  position  around  the  town  of  Chatta 
nooga,  and,  by  the  middle  of  the  afternon,  all  hands  were  busy 
building  fortifications.  Late  in  the  evening  the  enemy  com 
menced  shelling  us,  but  the  distance  was  so  great  that  they 
did  us  no  harm.  We  camped  during  the  night  in  line  of  battle, 
keeping  details  at  work  all  night  on  the  works.  We  all  got 
some  sleep,  b^ing  the  first  of  any  note  for  about  five  days  and 
nights. 

Near  the  position  occupied  by  the  regiment  stood  a  hand 
some  cottage,  out  of  which  came  a  lady,  who  said  she  wanted 
to  go  away,  and  requested  us  to  s,ee  that  her  house  was  not 
disturbed  in  any  way.  The  Colonel  promised  her  most  un 
qualifiedly  that  nothing  about  the  premises  should  be  hurt. 
Pretty  soon,  however,  after  she  had  gone,  the  engineer  came 
along,  and  directed  us  to  go  to  work  on  our  defenses,  and  to  run 
the  line  through  the  yard;  that  that  cottage  would  have  to 
be  taken  down.  The  doors  were  locked,  and  the  keys  gone;  but 
we  got  in  all  the  same,  carefully  packed  up  all  the  goods,  and 
carried  everything  out;  took  out  the  doors  and  windows;  took 
off  the  roof,  a  side  at  a  time;  cut  and  pried  the  frame  apart, 
and  took  the  sides  and1  ends  down,  in  a  manner,  whole;  piled 
the  house  around  the  goods  and  furniture,  and  removed  the 
yard  fence,  and  cut  a  large  ditch  across  the  yard,  and  threw  up 
an  embankment  three  or  four  feet  high.  When  the  lady  re 
turned,  the  n?xt  day,  she  pctnally  looked  lonesome.  The  neces- 


66  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

sity  of  the  thing  was  explained  to  her,  and  she  took  the  thing 
quite  philosophically,  arid  said,  if  she  just  knew  where  she  could 
get  a  team  to  move  her  goods,  she  would  be  all  right.  A  call 
was  made  on  Lieutenant  James  C.  Beeler,  the  Quartermaster, 
who  soon  sent  around  all  the  teams  necessary,  and  her  goods 
were  loaded,  and  a  detail  sent  to  help  unload.  She  thanked  us 
very  heartily  for  being  so  careful  with  her  goods.  Her  ac 
quaintance  with  the  Thirty-first  was  quite  brief;  but  she  will 
never  forget  it.  We  had  an  appraisement  made  of  her  house 
and  fence,  and  an  estimate  of  the  damage  done  to  her  lot  of 
ground.  We  hope  she  has  received  her  pay. 

The  following  excellent  paragraphs  we  are  permitted  to  take 
from  Captain  A.  C.  Ford's  "Midnight  on  Mission  Kidge:" 

'Tor  days  prior  to  the  battle  the  Twenty-first  Corps  had 
marched  through  mountain-gaps  and  pine-forests,  past  Chatta 
nooga  and  Grayville,  to  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mills,  and  on  to 
Crawfish  Springs.  Who  of  that  command  will  ever  forget  the 
crude  uncertainties,  the  horrible  forebodings,  and  the  myste 
rious  and  inexplicable  stillness  of  those  September  days,  as  we 
aimlessly  wandered  up  and  down  the  rugged  byways  along  the 
winding  banks  of  the  Chickamauga,  halting  now  for  an  hour, 
and  now  marching  again  without  haste  or  apparent  purpose? 
.'Soldiers  climbed  into  tree-tops,  or  to  some  rugged  height,  while 
officers  waited  impatiently  below  for  report  of  what  they  saw. 
'On  the  15th  and  16th,  over  the  tall  pine-forests  to  the  south- 
•west,  from  one  to  three  miles  away,  a  long  line  of  reddish-yel 
low  dust  could  be  seen  rolling  up  in  the  bright  sunshine,  evi 
dently  from  a  long  column  of  marching  troops,  to-day  moving 
in  a  southeast  direction,  and  to-morrow  moving  back  again. 
But  who?  Was  it  Thomas?  or  McCook?  It  could  not  be. 
Thomas  must  be  further  away,  and  McCook  could  not  be  nearer 
than  thirty  miles  as  the  crow  flies,  and  directly  beyond  the  cloud 
of  dust,  marching,  it  was  fondly  hoped,  to  join  Thomas,  and 
Crittenden,  somewhere  between  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mills  and 
McFarland's  Gap. 

"The  strain  of  these  long  and  anxious  days  and  nights,  in- 
.cluding  the  two  days'  battle  ending  in  heaping  the  army  in 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  67 

the  Chattanoc  ga  val'ey,  was  all  and  more  than  mind  and  body 
could  endure;  the  Commander  of  the  army  himself  almost  suc 
cumbing  to  the  more  than  human  task.  But  the  dawn  of  light 
on  the  morning  of  the  21st  brought  fresh  hope  and  renewed 
powers  of  endurance.  2^o  army  ever  more  cheerfully  marched 
to  new  duties  than  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  did  that  bright 
September  morning.  The  Twenty-first  Corps  climbed  to  the 
top  of  Mission  Ridge,  and  stretched  its  length  along  the  crest 
to  the  north,  from  Rossville  far  beyond  the  point  since  known 
as  Bragg's  Headquarters.  The  day  wore  away,  and  the  attack 
that  had  been  hourly  expected  was  not  made.  At  9  o'clock  at 
night  all  was  as  quiet  as  a  sick-chamber;  at  10  o'clock,  while  we 
lay  sleeping  behind  th.e  barricade  busy  hands  had  been  building 
from  early  dawn  until  after  nightfall,  an  order  came,  delivered 
in  low  breath,  to  be  ready  to  march  in  ten  minutes,  and  with 
out  a  loud  word  being  spoken.  Standing  in  line,  awaiting  or 
ders  to  move,  an  order  was  received  for  a  company  from  the 
brigade  to  be  left  deployed  along  the  entire  line  of  our  works. 
Company  A,  Thirty-first  Indiana,  was  detailed,  and  stepping  a 
pac  or  two  out  of  1'ne,  we  stood  at  attention  while  the  command 
marched  by  and  away,  the  officers  stepping  from  their  places  in 
line  to  take  a  hurried  leave  of  their  associates,  while  the  sol 
diers  whispered  a  jocular  message  to  General  Bragg,  or  made 
request  for  a  souvenir  from  Andersonville  or  Libby  Prison. 
We  stood  in  perfect  silence  until  the  last  sound  of  the  march 
ing  columns  died  away  in  the  valley  to  the  west.  The  lone 
liness  seemed  almost  suffocating,  but  recovering  from  the  stupe 
fying  influences  of  the  situation,  we  proceeded  to  obey  orders 
by  deploying  the  little  command  at  intervals,  sufficient  to  cover 
the  ridge  occupied  by  our  command. 

The  enemy,  Folk's  Corps,  was  in  position  on  a  ridge  in  an 
irregular  line,  in  our  front,  and  so  near  at  places,  we  could 
plainly  hear  every  loud  word  spoken,  the  marching  of  their 
columns  into  position,  and  the  rattling  of  their  artillery  over  the 
rough  ground  all  night  long,  while  we  stood  looking  steadily 
into  the  impenetrable  darkness  of  the  deep  gulch  and  forest 
between  us.  Orders  to  rejoin  our  command,  and  morning,  it 


68  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

seemed,  would  never  come.  Suddenly  hoof-beats  of  an  ap 
proaching  horseman  were  heard  in  the  distance,  but,  owing  to 
the  peculiar  echoing  of  sound,  the  direction  could  not  be  deter 
mined.  A  mounted  soldier  rode  into  our  line  from  its  right 
south  flank,  and  was  brought,  between  two  bayonets,  to  the  com 
pany  commander.  To  learn  he  did  not  bring  orders  ending  our 
lonely  watch  was  a  severe  disappointment,  but  it  had  its  com 
pensation.  He  claimed  he  had  been  sent  from  corps  head 
quarters  with  a  bottle  of  whisky  to  the  chief  of  artillery,  under 
whose  direction  empty  caissons  had  been  rattling  over  the  rough 
hills,  away  to  our  right,  all  night  long.  How  he  had  ridden 
into  our  lines  it  puzzled  him  to  know,  and  he  was  greatly  dis 
tressed  at  being  a  prisoner.  "We  dismounted  him,  and  relieved 
him  of  his  arms  and  munitions  of  war,  and  gave  him  assurance 
that,  although  he  would  be  unable  to  reach  his  alleged  chief 
of  artillery,  immediate  arrangements  would  be  made  for  the 
disposition  of  the  burthen  of  his  errand. 

"Looking  again  to  the  east,  the  gray  streaks  of  morning  light 
could  be  seen  shooting  up  in  the  horizon,  and  the  gray  line  of 
danger  was  momentarily  expected  to  be  heard  and  felt.  Who 
of  us  of  the  line,  at  about  this  period  of  the  war,  did  not  hope 
to  bear  eagle  wings,  and  who  of  the  field  had  not  a  dim,  distant 
star  to  guide  him?  With  a  command  of  not  more  than  fifty 
men,  on  a  lonely  mountain  ridge,  miles  away  from  the  army  to 
which  we  belonged,  and  but  a  few  hundred  yards  from  a  power 
ful  enemy,  I  remember  a  thought  came  into  my  mind,  that 
this,  perhaps,  was  the  oppoi:'tunity  to  do  something  that  would 
make  report  of  our  services  worthy  the  attention  of  oiir  coun 
try-1— a  youthful  ambition1  as  commendable  as  hopeless.  But  a 
courier,  that  came  crashing  through  the  brush  and 'over  fallen 
timbers,  from  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  stopped  indulgence'in  the 
illusions  of  a  foolish  hope,  and  we  hurriedly  'rallied  on  the  cen 
ter/  and  followed,  while  the  courier  led  the  way  down  to  the  val 
ley  and  on  to  the  Rossville  Road,  a  mile  or  more  away.  A  hurried 
march  of  half  an  hour  brought  "us  inside  the  cavalry  vidette, 
three  miles  or  more  out  from  Chattanooga.  We  dropped  to  the 
ground  for  a  moment's  rest  just  as  the  morning  sunlight  was 


///  Mr   }}'<{/'  of  the  Rebellion.  69 

touching  the  taLe.t  ] lines  on  Mission  Ridge.  Almost  instantly 
all  were  asleep.  Awakening  suddenly,  I  saw  standing  before  me, 
with  his  hand  grasping  the  rein  of  his  horse,  and  still  wearing 
a  bayoneted  gun  on  either  side,  our  prisoner  of  a  few  hours 
before,  who  was  as  much  delighted  that  our  uniforms,  that 
looked  gray  by  starlight,  were  blue,  as  I  was  surprised  that 
he  wore  the  same  color. 

"Resuming  our  march,  as  we  drew  nearer  our  lines,  that 
ran  from  toward  the  foot  of  Lookout  Mountain  around  to  the 
Tennessee  River  on  the  north,  we  beheld  an  army  playing  at 
the  game  of  war  with  spades  as  trumps.  Far  around  to  the 
northward,  on  the  high  ground,  since  known  as  Fort  Wood,  we 
saw  standing  on  the  half -made  works  a  squad  of  soldiers  looking 
intently  at  our  little  moving  column,  and  we  directed  our  course 
toward  them.  Climbing  over  the  works  where  they  stood,  and 
receiving  congratulations  at  our  unexpected  return,  we  stacked 
our  arms,  and  followed  suit  by  also  playing  spades  from  quarter 
master's  deal,  while  distracted  women  and  children  stood  stupe 
fied  and  overwhelmed  at  the  destruction  of  their  beautiful  sub 
urban  homes,  that  a  few  hours  before  had  been  the  pride  and 
ornament  of  Chattanooga. 

"History  tells  you  how  successful  the  ruse  was,  and  how 
nearly  we  came  to  a  realization  of  our  ambitious  hopes,  based  on  a 
daybreak  attack.  We  could  have  almost  taken  an  early  dinner 
there,  for  not  until  many  hours  had  passed  did  we  see  a  long  line 
of  gray  looking  down  on  us  from  the  barricade  we  had  left,  and 
they  had  spent  hours  shelling  before  occupying.  General  Polk 
had  been  invited  by  a  farmer  to  breakfast  at  a  reasonable  hour, 
and  General  Bragg  subsequently  said  he  never  let  so  trifling  a 
matter  as  attacking  an  enemy  interfere  with  his  acceptance  of 
an  invitation  of  that  kind..  His  failure  in  obeying  orders  to 
attack  at  daybreak  was  the  cause  for  a  renewal  of  a  quarrel 
between  them,  that  ended  only  when  the  Bishop  General  was 
killed  on  Pine  Mountain  by  a  shot  from  the  Fifth  Indiana  bat 
tery,  on  the  14th  of  June,  1864. 

"Attempts  were  made  to  throw  shells  into  our  lines,  that  were 
by  that  time  well-formed  and  fortified,  from  batteries  on  Mission 


70  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

Ridge  and  Lookout  .Mountain;  but  the  result,  in  most  part,  was 
more  to  our  amusement  than  danger.  But  in  the  days  and  weeks 
that  followed  the  amusement  ceased,  and  the  danger  came,  but 
from  an  enemy  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  up  to  that  time 
had  been  a  stranger  to — starvation.  A  record  of  the  splendid 
deeds  that  saved  us  from  that  dread  conqueror  makes  a  page  in 
history  that  reads  unlike  others.  It  tells  the  story  of  a  battle 
fought  under  the  command,  or  from  the  common  impulse,  of  the 
lowest  in  rank,  where  and  when  a  half-starved  army,  growing 
impatient  of  restraint,  rushed  upon  a  powerful  foe,  broke  and 
drove  his  columns  far  from  its  front,  and  enriched  its  trophies 
of  war  with  a  hundred  captured  guns  and  thousands  of 
prisoners." 

We  remained  in  camp  here  at  Chattanooga  about  a  month, 
during  which  time  the  place  was  pretty  well  fortified,  and  from 
the  fact  that  the  rebel  cavalry  were  industriously  disturbing  our 
line  of  communication  we  were  most  of  the  time  sho.t  of  rat'ons. 
On  the  25th  of  October,  1863,  we  left  for  Bridgeport,  Alabama, 
for  the  purpose  of  guarding  the  bridge  and  supplies  at  that 
place.  On  our  arrival  at  Bridgeport,  we  relieved  a  brigade  that 
immediately  went  to  Chattanooga  to  take  part  in  the  battle  of 
Missionary  Ridge,  which  was  fought  November  25,  1863.  Two 
companies  of  the  Thirty-first  guarded  some  thirteen  hundred 
prisoners,  captured  in  this  engagement,  to  Nashville,  Tenn. 
While  in  camp  here  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  men  of  the 
regiment  re-enlisted,  or  veteranized,  which  was  considerably 
above  an  average.  Those  who  re-enlisted  were  mustered  as  vet 
erans  on  the  Yth  day  of  January,  1864.  Those  re-enlisting  were 
paid  up  in  full,  including  the  original  bounty  of  $100,  additional 
bounty  and  premiums  of  $101.  The  veterans  left  Bridgeport 
January  26th,  and  arrived  at  Indianapolis,  January  30,  1864. 
The  regiment  was  held  at  Indi-mapolis,  and  given  a  magnificent 
reception.  The  ladies  and  authorities  of  the  city  had  prepared 
an  excelent  dinner,  after  which  addresses  were  made  by  Gov 
ernor  Morton,  General  Laz.  Noble,  Colonel  John  T.  Smith, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Francis  L.  Kneff.  When  the  regiment  ar 
rived  at  Terre  Haute,  it  found  the  city  all  aglow  with  enthusiasm 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  71 

and  patriotic  ardor,  determined  to  show  their  good-will  and 
approval  with  a  reception  that  was  to  eclipse  everything  else  of 
the  kind,  and  with  their  immoital  Colonel  R.  M.  Thompson, 
with  hi?;  inimitable  eloquence,  they  could  not  have  failed;  but 
the  men  of  the  regiment,  who  had  been  absent  from  dear  ones 
nearly  two  and  a  half  years,  were  too  eager  to  get  home.  The 
arms  of  the  regiment  were  deposited  where  they  remained  until 
March  14,  1861.  There  had  been  one  ma:i  from  each  company 
sent  home  on  recruiting  service  some  time  before  the  regiment 
veteranized,  some  time  probably  in  November,  who  had  gath 
ered  up  a  few  recruits.  The  veterans  while  at  home  obtained  a 
few  more,  so  the  regiment  returned  with  several  recruits. 

We  returned  from  our  homes  to  Indianapolis,  March  15, 
1864,  and  immediately  started  to  the  front.  On  the  ITti  arrive! 
at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  not  being  able  to  obtain  transpor 
tation,  we  took  up  the  line  of  march  for  Stevenson,  Alabama,, 
passing  by  the  battle-field  of  Stone  River,  and  arriving  at  Steven 
son  on  the  29th,  at  noon.  Here  we  procured  transportation, 
taking  deck  passage  on  a  freight  train,  and  arrived  at  Chatta 
nooga  at  eight  o'clock  at  night,  marched  out  two  and  one-half 
mile?,  and  bivouacked.  We  rested  here  one  day,  and  early  the 
next  morning  we  resumed  the  march  through  a  rough,  broken 
country,  and  arrived  at  Ottawa  Station,  on  the  Chattanooga  & 
Knoxville  Railroad,  April  1,  1864.  Here  we  rejoined  our 
brigade,  and  soon  found  ourselves  in  comfortable  quarters. 

The  non-veterans  of  the  regiment,  during  the  absence  of  the 
veterans  on  furlough  home,  were  attached  to  the  Eighty-first 
Regiment  Indiana  Volunteers,  and  were  commanded  by  William 
H.  Zimmerman,  of  Company  F.  We  rejoined  them  at  Ottawa. 

During  the  month  of  April  the  army  was  making  active 
preparations  for  the  approaching  campaign,  and  various  changes 
were  made  in  its  organization.  The  Thirty-first  Regiment  was 
in  the  First  Brigade,  which  was  commanded  by  Brigadier-Gen 
eral  Charles  Cruft,  until  the  10th  of  June,  when,  in  consequence 
of  sickness,  he  was  sent  back  to  Chattanooga,  and  Colonel  Isaac 
M.  Kirby  assumed  command.  The  brigade  at  this  time  con 
sisted  of  the  Twenty-first  Illinois  (General  Grant's  regiment), 


72  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

commanded  by  Major  James  E.  Galloway;  Thirty-eighth  Illinois 
Regiment,  Colonel  William  T.  Chapman;  Thirty-first  Indiana, 
Colonel  John  T.  Smiih;  Eighty-first  Indiana,  Colonel  William 
C.  Wheeler;  First  Kentucky,  Colonel  David  A.  Enyart — this 
regiment  was  sent  home  May  29th,  to  be  mustered  out,  term  of 
service  having  expired;  Second  Kentucky,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
John  R.  Hurd — sent  home  June  3d  for  muster  out,  time  expired; 
Ninetieth  Ohio,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Samuel  N.  Yeoman;  101st 
Ohio,  Colonel  I.  M.  Kirby,  and  after  June  10th  this  regiment 
was  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bedan  B.  McDonald. 
We  were  in  the  First  Division,  commanded  by  Major-General 
David  S.  Stanly  until  about  August  1st,  and  then  by  Brigadier- 
General  Nathan  Kimball.  We  were  in  the  Fourth  Army 
Corps,  commanded  by  Major-General  Oliver  O.  Howard,  until 
July  27th,  when  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  command  of  the 
corps  by  General  Stanly.  We  were  in  the  Army  of  the  Cum 
berland,  commanded  by  Major-General  George  H.  Thomas. 

The  entire  army  consisted  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumber 
land,  commanded  by  Major-General  George  H.  Thomas,  and 
including  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery,  numbering  60,773 
men  and  130  guns;  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  commanded 
by  Major-General  James  B.  McPherson,  with  a  force  of  24,465 
men  of  infantry,  artillery,  and  cavalry,  and  96  guns;  the  Army 
of  the  Ohio,  Major-General  John  M.  Schofield,  with  13,559 
men  of  all  arms,  and  28  guns, — all  under  the  command  of 
Major-General  William  T.  Sherman,  of  the  Military  Division 
of  the  Mississippi.  Grand  aggregate:  Troops,  98,797  and  254 
guns.  About  these  figures  were  maintained  during  the  cam 
paign,  the  number  of  men  joining  from  furlough  and  hos 
pitals  about  compensating  for  the  loss  in  battle  and  from  sickness. 

These  armies,  about  the  first  of  May,  had  their  head 
quarters  as  follows:  The  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  at  Ring- 
gold;  that  of  the  Tennessee,  at  Gordon's  Mills,  on  the  Chicka- 
mauga;  and  that  of  the  Ohio,  near  Red  Clay,  on  the  Georgia 
line,  north  of  Dalton.  The  enemy  lay  in  and  about  Dalton,  with 
about  ten  thousand  cavalry  and  between  forty-five  and  fifty 
thousand  infantry  and  artillery. 


GILBERT  LISTON. 
COMPANY  F. 


LIEUTENANT  JOHN  W.  BROWN. 
COMPANY  F. 


CAPTAIN  LEWIS  W.  BROWN 
COMPANY  F. 


GEORGE  CLAYTON. 
COMPANY  F. 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  75 

ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN. 

REPORT  OF  COLONEL  ISAAC  M.  KIRBY, 
ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIRST  OHIO  INFANTRY,  COMMANDING  FIRST  BRIGADE. 

HEADQUARTERS  FIRST  BRIGADE, 

FIRST  DIVISION,  FOURTH  ARMY  CORPS,  NEAR  ATLANTA,  GA., 

September  11,  1864. 

I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the 
operations  of  this  brigade  during  the  campaign  commencing 
May  3d  and  ending  September  8th,  in  the  occupation  of  At 
lanta: 

From  May  3d  to  June  10th,  Brigadier-General  Craft  com 
manded  the  brigade,  and  for  a  report  during  that  time  I  am 
restricted  to  information  gained  from  regimental  reports  and 
from  my  Assistant  Adjutant-General.  On  the  third  day  of  May, 
this  brigade,  composed  of  the  Thirty-first  Indiana,  Eighty-first 
Indiana,  Ninetieth  Ohio,  and  One  hundred  and  first  Ohio,  and 
detachments  of  the  non-veterans  of  the  Twenty-first  and 
Thirty-eighth  Illinois,  attached  to  the  One  hundred  and  first 
Ohio,  broke  camp  at  Ooltewah,  Tenn.,  and,  under  command 
of  Brigadier-General  Cruft,  marched  out  the  road  leading  to 
Tunnel  Hill  via  Catoosa  Springs,  camped  on  a  high  ridge,  half 
a  mile  south  of  Catoosa  Springs,  on  the  evening  of  the  4th.  On 
the  morning  of  the  7th,  the  brigade,  in  advance  of  the  division, 
moved  directly  on  Tunnel  Hill.  The  One  Hundred  and  First 
Ohio,  and  two  companies  of  the  Eighty-first  Indiana,  deployed  as 
skirmishers,  soon  met  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  and  drove  them 
steadily  back  till  our  line  swung  around  on  the  base  of  Tunnel 
Hill.  While  lying  in  that  position,  General  Whitaker's  brigade 
moved  down  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  and  occupied  the  enemy's 
works  on  the  hill.  That  night  the  brigade  encamped  on  the 
hill.  May  8th,  moved  forward  to  the  railroad,  and  lay  in  line 
of  battle.  May  9th,  brigade  moved  forward  a  short  distance; 
skirmishers  briskly  engaged  during  the  day.  May  10th,  occu 
pied  same  position.  May  llth:  this  afternoon,  brigade  ordered 
on  a  reconnaissance  in  the  gorge  at  Rocky  Face.  One  Hundred 
and  First  Ohio,  Thirty-first  Indiana,  and  a  portion  of  the  Nine 
tieth  Ohio  deployed  as  skirmishers.  Eighty-first  Indiana,  sup- 


76  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  'Regiment 

porting  the  right  of  the  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio,  pressed 
forward,  and  drove  the  enemy  from  his  detached  works  to  his 
main  line,  and  withdrew  under  cover  of  night.  May  12th, 
moved  to  the  right  to  a  position  occupied  by  a/brigade  of  Gen 
eral  Davis's  division,  and  intrenched.  May  13th,  the  enemy 
having  evacuated  his  position,  the  brigade,  in  the  division  col 
umn,  marched  through  Dalton,  and  bivouacked  on  the  road 
leading  to  Resaca.  May  14th,  marched  on  in  pursuit  of  the 
enemy;  soon  met  his  skirmishers;  deployed  the  One  Hundred 
and  First  Ohio,  and  drove  his  skirmishers  back  to  his  line  on 
the  hills  near  Resaca.  The  brigade  was  then  formed  for  ac 
tion,  and,  with  the  Fifth  Indiana  Battery,  moved  forward  on 
the  Resaca  road  beyond  the  junction  of  the  Tilton  road,  and 
became  hotly  engaged.  Owing  to  the  extent  of  country  to 
be  observed  by  so  small  a  force,  the  brigade  was  necessarily 
posted  in  detached  positions.  The  enemy,  sweeping  down  on 
us  in  overwhelming  force,  and  pressing  a  heavy  body  entirely 
past  our  left  flank,  compelled  the  brigade  to  fall  back  in  con 
fusion.  The  Fifth  Indiana  Battery,  having  been,  fortunately, 
posted  in  rear  of  the  lines,  checked  the  enemy's  further  ad 
vance,  and  punished  him  severely.  Just  at  nightfall  the  brigade 
was  rallied,  re-formed,  and  moved  to  a  position  in  rear  of  Colonel 
(now  General)  Grose's  brigade,  where  it  remained  till  the 
evacuation  of  the  works  at  Resaca,  the  morning  of  the  16th. 
Moved  forward  that  day  in  pursuit.  Came  up  with  the  enemy 
on  the  evening  of  the  17th,  near  Adairville;  formed  in  line  of 
battle,  and  advanced  skirmishers;  light  skirmishing  until  dark. 
During  the  night  the  enemy  withdrew.  Moved  forward  on 
the  morning  of  the  18th;  found  the  enemy  near  Kingston;  de 
ployed  the  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio  and  Eighty-first  In 
diana.  Heavy  skirmishing  ensued,  driving  the  enemy  about 
one  and  a  half  miles.  Formed  a  line  of  battle,  and  moved  for 
ward,  the  enemy  withdrawing;  camped  near  Cassville.  May 
23d,  3  P.  M.,  marched  with  the  division  via  Burnt  Hickory, 
across  Pumpkin-vine  Creek,  to  a  position  near  Dallas.  Lay  in 
reserve  at  Dallas  till  the  morning  of  May  30th,  when  the  bri 
gade  was  ordered  to  accompany  a  supply  train  to  Kingston. 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  77 

The  Twenty-first  Illinois,  returned  from  veteran  furlough, 
joined  the  brigade  at  Kingston,  June  14th.  Rejoined  the  divis 
ion  at  Acworth,  June  7th.  June  9th,  Thirty-eighth  Illinois 
joined  the  brigade,  having  returned  from  veteran  furlough. 
On  the  morning  of  June  10th,  General  Cruft  was  ordered  to 
Chattanooga  on  account  of  severe  sickness,  and  I  had  the  honor 
to  assume  command. 

Moved  out  on  the  Burnt  Hickory  and  Marietta  road  in  ad 
vance  of  the  division;  deployed  the  Twenty-first  Illinois  and 
Thirty-first  Indiana  as  skirmishers.  The  line  soon  became  en 
gaged  with  the  enemy's  skirmishers;  drove  them  back  nearly 
half  a  mile.  The  line  was  here  halted,  and  column  deployed 
into  position,  and  slight  barricades  constructed.  June  llth,  line 
was  relieved  by  portions  of  Colonel  Grose  and  General  Whit- 
aker's  brigades ;  and  my  command,  by  order  of  General  Stanley, 
moved  to  the  left  of  General  Grose,  relieving  General  Mor 
gan's  brigade,  of  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps,  and  formed  in 
two  lines,  three  battalions  front.  Just  before  dusk,  commenced 
movement  to  occupy  position  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  yards 
farther  to  the  front;  completed  movement  unde?  cover  of  night. 
During  the  night  my  position  was  strongly  iritrenched.  June 
12th,  light  skirmishing  all  day.  Advanced  the  skirmish  line 
about  fifty  yards ;  considerable  firing  on  the  skirmish  line  all 
night.  June  13th -and  14th,  light  skirmishing.  June  15th,  at 
early  dawn,  skirmish  'line  advanced  one-half  mile  without 
finding  an  enemy;  took  six  prisoners.  By  order  of  Major-Gen 
eral  -Stanley,  brigade  advanced  three-fourths  of  a  mile.  2  P.  M., 
formed  in  double  column,  three  battalions  front.  5  P.  M., 
advanced  to  the  front  and  right,  deployed  in  position  on  the 
right  of  General  Grose;  advanced  strong  line  of  skirmishers 
under  a  brisk  fire.  June  16th,  skirmishers  briskly  engaged  the 
entire  day.  During- the  day,  the  Thirty-first  Indiana,  and 
part  of  the-  Ninetieth  Ohio,  intrenched  on  the  skirmish  line  in 
an  open  field  and  immediately  under  the  enemy's  guns,  perform 
ing  their  work  gallantly.  The  Ninetieth  and  One  Hundred 
and  First  Ohio  completed  the  line  in  the  early  part  of  the  night. 
June,  17th,  3  A.  M.,  advanced  skirmishers  to  the  enemy's  works. 


78  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

and  found  them  evacuated.  During  the  morning,  advanced  the 
brigade  one  and  one-half  miles  to  a  commanding  position  and 
on  the  right  of  General  Grose.  Was  relieved  in  the  afternoon 
by  Geneal  Beatty's  brigade,  and  moved  to  the  left  in  position, 
supporting  the  right  brigade  of  General  Newton's  division.  June 
18th,  advanced  one-half  a  mile,  supporting  same  brigade  of  Gen 
eral  Newton's;  4  P.  M.,  moved  to  position  in  front  line  farther  to 
the  right,  and  joining  the  left  of  General  Wood's  division. 
June  19th,  moved  to  the  right,  and  relieved  a  brigade  belong 
ing  to  the  Twentieth  Army  Corps.  June  20th,  advanced  a 
strong  skirmish-line  to  seize  a  high  hill  held  by  the  enemy  in 
my  front.  Succeeded,  under  a  heavy  artillery  and  musketry  fire, 
in  gaining  the  hill,  but  the  enemy  immediately  moved  a  strong 
line  of  battle  (under  cover  of  a  well-directed  artillery  fire) 
against  me,  and,  my  flanks  not  being  sufficiently  protected,  my 
men  were  driven  back.  June  21st,  moved  the  brigade  against 
the  hill  that  I  failed  to  hold  on  the  20th.  The  Thirty-first  In 
diana  deployed  as  skirmishers,  Ninetieth  Ohio  supporting,  all 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  brigade  following  closely.  These  regi 
ments  carried  the  hill  gallantly,  and  were  followed  immediately 
"by  the  balance  of  the  brigade,  going  rapidly  into  position  pre 
viously  indicated.  The  enemy  opened  a  heavy  artillery  fire; 
did  comparatively  little  damage.  My  pioneers,  particularly, 
deserve  my  thanks,  and  won  my  admiration  on  this  occasion 
for  their  almost  superhuman  efforts  and  great  gallantry  dis 
played.  June,  22d,  occupied  the  same  position;  the  enemy  kept 
up  a  constant  and  heavy  skirmish  fire  on  us,  and  at  times  during 
the  day,  opened  a  heavy  artillery  fire.  June  23d,  3  A.  M., 
was  relieved  by  Colonel  Scribner's  brigade,  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps,  and  moved  to  the  right  about  a  mile,  and  relieved  por 
tions  of  Generals  Hooker's  and  Kimball's  brigades.  June  24th, 
advanced  skirmish  line  (Eighty-first  Indiana),  and  seized  a  ridge 
occupied  by  the  enemy's  skirmishers.  One  Hundred  and  First 
Ohio  and '  Twenty-first  Illinois  moved  closely  in  support  of 
skirmish  line,  and,  with  assistance  of  pioneers,  soon  had  good 
works  on  the  ridge.  The  Ninetieth  Ohio  was  then  moved  up, 
and  completed  the  line.  The  enemy  resisted  this  advance  stub- 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  7i> 

bornly,  and  continued  to  annoy  us  very  much  during  the  night. 
My  regiments  engaged  performed  their  work  in  an  admirable" 
manner.  June  25th  and  26th,  occupied  the  same  position, 
subjected  to  an  annoying  fire  from  the  enemy.  June  27th,  at 
8  A.  M.,  formed  in  column,  regimental  front,  supporting  in 
echelon.  General  Kimball's  brigade  formed  for  assault.  The 
assault  proving  unsuccessful,  was  withdrawn  and  placed  in 
same  position  occupied  before.  June  28th,  29th,  and  30th, 
occupied  same  position.  July  1st,  in  same  position,  with  heavy 
skirmish  and  artillery  firing.  July  2d,  late  P.  M.,  moved  to  the 
left,  and  relieved  a  portion  of  General  Newton's  line.  July  3d, 
enemy  evacuated,  brigade  marched  via  Marietta,  and  bivouacked 
in  front  of  enemy,  in  rear  of  General  Grose's  brigade,  five  miles 
south  of  Marietta.  July  4th,  went  into  position  on  left  of  Gen 
eral  Grose,  pushed  forward  a  strong  skirmish  line,  and  advanced 
in  line  of  battle;  took  enemy's  skirmish  pits,  and  intrenched 
during  the  evening.  July  5th,  enemy  evacuated;  brigade 
marched  to  the  Clmttahoochee  River.  July  6th,  7th,  8th,  and 
9th,  occupied  same  position.  July  10th,  at  10  A.  M.,  marched 
on  the  road  leading  up  the  river,  camped  within  one  mile  of 
pontoon  crossing.  July  llth,  occupied  same  position.  July 
12th,  crossed  the  river,  and  went  into  position  on  high  bluff, 
one  mile  below  crossing.  July  13th,  14th,  15th,  16th,  and  17th, 
occupied  same  position.  July  18th,  brigade  marched  out  on 
Atlanta  road  at  5  o'clock  A.  M.,  following  General  Newton's 
division;  camped  near  Buck  Head.  July  19th,  marched  about 
three  miles,  and  went  into  position  on  left  of  division.  July 
20th,  marched  in  rear  of  division,  crossed  south  fork  of  Peach- 
tree  Creek,  and  bivouacked  in  rear  of  Colonel  Taylor's  lines. 
July  21st,  occupied  same  position.  July  22d,  marched  in  pursuit 
of  enemy;  went  into  position  in  front  of  enemy  at  ten  A.  M., 
and  advanced  skirmish-line.  July  23d,  24th,  25th,  and  26th 
occupied  same  position,  building  works  and  skirmishing.  July 
27th,  at  9  P.  M.  moved  to  left  flank  of  army,  and  occupied 
enemy's  old  works.  July  28th,  29th,  30th,  and  31st,  occupied 
same  position.  August  1st,  in  the  evening  relieved  one  brigade 
of  General  Hascall's  Division  on  the  front  line.  August  2d, 


80  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

occupied  same  position.  August  3d,  made  demonstration  with 
skirmish  line;  lost  eight  men  wounded.  August  4th,  same  po 
sition.  August  5th,  made  demonstration  with  skirmish-line. 
August  6th,  7th,  Sth,  9th,  10th,  and  llth,  all  quiet.  August 
12th,  advanced  skirmish-line  three  hundred  or  four  hundred 
yards;  met  very  little  resistance,  returned  to  old  position.  Au 
gust  13th,  14th,  and  15th,  occupied  same  position.  August  16th, 
shifted  position  to  the  left,  the  length  of  brigade.  August  17th 
and  18th,  all  quiet. 

August  19th,  put  the  brigade  in  position  on  the  Augusta 
Railroad  to  the  left  of  picket-line,  deployed  Ninetieth  Ohio,  One 
Hundred  and  First  Ohio,  and  Twenty-first  Illinois  as  skir 
mishers,  and  advanced  one-half  mile ;  drove  the  enemy's  skirmish 
ers  into  their  rifle-pits,  and  withdrew.  In  the  afternoon,  made  a 
similar  demonstration.  August  20th,  21st,  22d,  23d,  24th,  and 
25th,  occupied  same  position,  occasionally  making  a  display  of 
the  troops.  August  25th,  immediately  after  dark,  broke  up 
camp,  and  marched  in  rear  of  the  lines  to  the  right;  crossed  the 
Chattanooga  Railroad,  and  bivouacked  in  some  old  works; 
Eighty-first  Indiana  deployed  as  pickets.  August  26th,  the 
enemy  advanced  a  strong  line  of  skirmishers  on  our  pickets, 
pushing  them  vigorously,  succeeded  in  driving  our  pickets  off  the 
ridge  occupied.  The  Thirty-eighth  Illinois  was  immediately 
deployed  as  support.  The  Eighty-first  Indiana  rallied  and 
charged  the  enemy,  driving  the  lines  back  handsomely.  The 
brigade  was  then  withdrawn,  and  marched  off  to  the  right  in 
division  column,  and  camped  at  night  in  rear  of  the  Fourteenth 
Corps.  August  27th,  continued  march  to  the  right,  and  went 
into  position  near  Mount  Grilead  Church.  August  28th,  con 
tinued  march,  and  went  into  position  near  West  Point  Railroad. 
August  29th,  occupied  same  position;  Thirty-first  Indiana  en 
gaged  in  destroying  railroad  track.  August  30th,  marched  to  a 
position  near  Mud  Creek.  August  31st,  drove  the  enemy's 
skirmishers  from  works  on  the  bank  of  creek,  and  camped  one 
mile  west  of  Macon  Railroad.  September  1st,  marched  down 
Macon  Railroad,  destroying  track.  About  3.30  P.  M.,  became 
engaged  with  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  and  drove  them  steadily 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  81 

before  us  to  their  main  line,  near  Jonesboro;  formed  junction 
with  Fourteenth  Army  Corps  battle-line,  and  moved  upon  the 
enemy;  became  very  spiritedly  engaged,  driving  the  enemy  into 
his  works.  Nightfall  compelled  us  to  cease  our  efforts.  During 
the  night  intrenched.  The  enemy  withdrew  during  the  night. 
September  2d,  pursued  the  enemy  through  Jonesboro,  coming 
up  to  him  again  near  Lovejoy's;  went  into  position,  and  drove 
his  skirmishers  back  to  his  main  line  of  works.  Again  night 
compelled  cessation  of  work.  September  3d,  was  placed  in  re 
serve  to  Second  and  Third  Brigades;  occupied  same  position 
until  evening  of  the  5th,  when  we  withdrew  and  marched  to 
present  position  on  Augusta  Kailroad,  arriving  September  8th, 
P.M. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  arduous  campaign  this  brigade  lost 
by  sickness  the  valuable  services  and  directions  of  its  proper 
commander,  Brigadier-General  Cruft.  For  its  comparative  suc 
cess  since  then  I  am  indebted  to  the  intelligent  and  untiring 
efforts  of  the  regimental  commanders.  I  am  truly  under  lasting 
obligations  to  these  officers  for  their  cheerful  and  prompt  execu 
tion  of  all  orders,  and  for  their  indefatigable  zeal  and  watchful 
ness  by  day  and  night.  To  the  line  officers  and  men  more  than 
thanks  are  due.  They  have  labored  and  fought  cheerfully  and 
gallantly  when  physical  energies  seemed  taxed  beyond  endur 
ance.  We  mourn  the  loss  of  gallant  comrades  to  the  number 
of  6  commissioned  officers  and  53  enlisted  men  killed,  and  sym 
pathize  with  22  commissioned  officers  and  343  enlisted  men 
wounded,  and  15  men  missing.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Neff,  Thirty- 
first  Indiana;  Major  Angle,  Ninetieth  Ohio;  and  Captain  Eber- 
sole,  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio;  and  Captain  Harris,  Thirty- 
eighth  Illinois,  fell  in  front  of  Kenesaw;  Captain  Rains,  Nine 
tieth  Ohio,  in  front  of  Atlanta;  and  Lieutenant  Hosmer,  One 
Hundred  and  First  Ohio,  in  the  dark  gorge  at  Rocky  Face. 
Brave,  gallant,  accomplished  gentlemen,  whose  memory  their 
comrades  will  never  cease  to  revere,  and  whose  virtues  their 
highest  aim  will  be  to  emulate. 

I  must  bear  testimony  of  the  invaluable  aid  rendered  by  the 

pioneer  detachments  of  this  brigade.    They  seemed  to  have  been 
6 


82  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

selected  for  their  gallant  and  earnest  enthusiasm  in  the  cause. 
I  offer  my  thanks  to  Lieutenant  Petticord,  One  Hundred  and 
First  Ohio,  and  Lieutenant  Graham,  Eighty-first  Indiana,  pio 
neer  officers. 

To  make  mention  of  the  officers  and  men  of  this  brigade 
distinguished  for  gallantry  would  be  to  make  out  almost  a  com 
plete  muster-roll;  but  I  can,  without  detriment  to  the  other  gal 
lant  men,  call  attention  to  Captain  Sutphin,  Ninetieth  Ohio; 
Captain  Latimer,  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio ;  Lieutenant  Ford, 
Thirty-first  Indiana,  as  officers  deserving  more  than  thanks. 

To  all  the  members  of  my  staff  I  am  under  obligations  for 
the  prompt  and  energetic  manner  in  which  they  have  discharged 
their  duties.  Particularly  am  I  indebted  to'  Lieutenant  Felton, 
Ninetieth  Ohio,  aide-de-camp,  and  Lieutenant  Stevens,  Eighty- 
first  Indiana,  assistant  inpector-general.  Always  correct  in  their 
judgment,  always  on  the  front  line  when  there  was  work  to  do, 
rendering  active  and  invaluable  assistance,  and  untiring  in  their 
efforts. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

I.  M.  KIRBY, 

CAPTAIN  E.  I).  MASON,  Colonel  Commanding. 

Ass't  Adjt.  Gen.,  First  Division,  Fourth  Corps. 

From  the  report  of  Major-General  David  S.  Stanley,  who 
commanded  the  First  Division,  Fourth  Corps,  from  the  com 
mencement  of  the  Atlanta  campaign  to  July  26,  1864,  we  make 
the  following  extracts: 

"I  have  the  honor  to  state  that  at  12  M.  on  the  3d  day  of 
May,  the  First  Division,  under  my  command,  marched  from  its 
camp  at  Blue  Springs,  under  orders  to  move  to  Catoosa  Springs. 
The  division  took  the  main  road  to  Dalton,  and  camped  the  same 
night  one  mile  south  of  Red  Clay. 

"Marching  early  the  next  morning,  we  reached  Catoosa 
Springs  at  noon,  near  Dr.  Lee's  house.  General  McCook's  cav 
alry,  which  was  in  advance  of  the  infantry,  exchanged  shots  with 
the  rebel  pickets,  who  ran  away  in  the  direction  of  Tunnel  Hill. 
We  remained  in  camp  the  5th  and  6th,  and  on  the  morning  of 
the  7th  marched  for  Tunnel  Hill,  this  division  leading.  After 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  83 

passing  Dr.  Lee's  house,  the  main  road  leading  down  the  base  of 
Rocky  Face  was  taken.  Skirmishers  were  deployed,  and  the 
enemy's  skirmishers  were  soon  encountered.  We  found  the  road 
obstructed  by  fallen  trees;  but  all  difficulties  were  soon  over 
come,  and  we  soon  found  ourselves  in  sight  of  the  enemy's  in- 
trenchments  upon  Tunnel  Hill.  As  the  force  of  the  enemy  was 
entirely  uncertain,  Brigadier-General  Cruft,  with  the  First  Bri 
gade,  was  directed  to  attack  the  line  in  front,  and  Brigadier- 
General  W.  C.  Whitaker,  with  the  Second  Brigade,  was  sent  to 
move  down  the  ridge  near  Rocky  Face,  and  attack  in  flank.  This 
movement  at  once  dislodged  the  rebels,  who  seemed  to  have  only 
cavalry  and  artillery.  Captain  Simonson,  chief  of  artillery,  who 
promptly  brought  forward  a  section  of  rifled  guns  of  the  Fifth 
Indiana  Battery,  had  a  few  fine  shots  at  the  retiring  cavalry,  and 
hurried  their  pace.  The  division  was  formed  in  line  of  battle 
facing  east,  having  before  us  Rocky  Face,  the  summit  of  which 
we  could  observe  occupied  by  the  enemy  in  quite  strong  force. 
In  getting  possession  of  Tunnel  Hill,  the  division  lost  four  men 
wounded. 

"Early  on  the  next  morning  of  the  8th,  the  division  advanced 
in  line  of  battle  within  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  yards  of 
Rocky  Face.  The  enemy  still  held  some  round  hills  intrenched 
at  the  entrance  of  Buzzard  Roost  Gap,  from  which  they  annoyed 
the  division  by  a  flank  fire.  In  the  afternoon,  General  Davis 
formed  a  force  to  charge  these  hills,  and  Captain  Simonson 
turning  his  batteries  upon  them,  they  very  easily  fell  into  our 
hands.  The  skirmishers  of  this  division  advanced  with  those  of 
General  Davis's  Division,  driving  the  rebels  into  their  intrench- 
ments,  and  developing  the  full  strength  of  the  position  before 
us.  Early  the  next  morning  our  skirmishers  pushed  up  to  the 
foot  of  the  palisades  under  cover  of  the  brushwood,  and  main 
tained  a  constant  fire  with  the  enemy  all  day.  In  the  evening  I 
received  orders  to  press  the  enemy  strongly  in  the  gorge  of  Buz 
zard  Roost.  This  duty  was  assigned  Colonel  Champion  with  his 
own  regiment  (the  Ninety-sixth  Illinois),  and  Eighty-fourth  In 
diana,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Neff.  Our  men  drove  the  rebels 
quickly  to  their  main  lines,  and  pushed  up  to  the  foot  of  the  per- 


84  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

pendicular  rocks  of  the  mountain,  and  maintained  themselves 
until  night,  when  all  but  the  pickets  were  withdrawn.  The  fire 
of  the  enemy  was  severe,  much  of  it  coming  almost  from  over 
head.  Our  loss  in  this  affair  was  fifty  or  sixty  men  killed  and 
wounded.  Major  Boyd,  Eighty-fourth  Indiana,  a  brave  and 
devoted  officer,  here  received  a  mortal  wound.  During  the  10th 
we  occupied  our  position,  slight  skirmishing  going  on.  The 
enemy  varied  the  performance  by  throwing  shells  into  the  valley 
we  occupied  from  some  howitzers  they  had  dragged  to  the  top 
of  the  ridge.  On  the  morning  of  the  llth,  we  made  arrange 
ment  to  relieve  General  Da  vis's  Division  in  the  occupancy  of 
the  hills  commanding  tlie  entrance  to  Buzzard  Roost  Gap. 
It  being  reported  that  the  enemy  was  leaving,  a  re 
connaissance  was  ordered  toward  evening.  This  was  made 
by  the  First  Brigade,  Brigadier-General  Grafts  commanding. 
The  Thirty-first  Indiana  and  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio 
were  deployed  as  skirmishers,  and,  pushing  boldly  forward, 
drove  the  enemy  from  his  first  line  {an  intrenched  picket-line) ; 
but  were  met  .by  a  heavy  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery. 

Our  men  maintained  their  position  until  dark,  and 
during  the  night,  having  relieved  General  Davis's  troops,  we 
threw  up  works  facing  those  of  the  enemy,  and  about  six  hundred 
yards  from  them.  This  reconnaissance  cost  us,  as  upon  the  9th, 
about  fifty  men  killed  and  wounded.  During  the  12th  we 
watched  the  enemy  closely,  the  Fourth  being  the  only  corps  be 
fore  Dalton.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  we  learned  the 
rebels  had  left  their  works. 

"As  soon  as  the  evacuation  of  his  works  by  the  enemy  was 
known,  we  started  in  pursuit.  Passing  through  Dalton  we  moved 
down  the  Sugar  Valley  road.  The  enemy  left  but  little  behind 
him  but  his  well-built  earthworks.  A  few  cavalry  opposed  our 
progress.  We  camped  at  night  about  nine  miles  south  of  Dalton, 
camping  in  line  of  battle,  facing  toward  Tilton,  our  backs  to 
Rocky  Face.  On  the  morning  of  the  14th,  the  division  marched 
towards  Tilton,  to  ascertain  if  any  of  the  enemy  remained  in 
that  direction.  Upon  reaching  the  main  Dalton  and  Resaca 
road,  I  received  orders  to  move  south  toward  Resaca,  this  divis- 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  85 

ion  being  the  only  one  on  that  road,  and  forming  the  left  flank 
of  the  army.  The  division  advanced  to  within  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  of  Resaca,  driving  in  the  skirmishers  of  the  enemy; 
but  as  Wood's  Division,  on  our  right,  had  not  yet  come  up,  and 
as  firing  was  heard  in  rear  of  our  right,  the  division  was  halted, 
and  directed  to  barricade.  At  two  P.  M.,  Wood  advanced,  and 
made  connection  with  the  right  of  this  division,  and  we  advanced 
together  until  stopped  by  the  heavy  fire  of  artillery  coming  from 
the  enemy's  works.  I  received  about  this  time  an  order  from  the 
general  commanding  the  corps  to  hold  the  Dalton  road  running 
by  my  left  flank.  To  do  this  I  stationed  Graft's  Brigade  upon 
the  left  of  the  road,  posting  two  of  his  regiments  upon  a  round- 
top  hill  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  road,  and  directing 
them  to  intrench  themselves.  These  troops  were  not  yet  in 
position  when  the  enemy  was  seen  forming  to  attack  them  in 
flank,  and  word  was  at  once  sent  the  corps  and  department  com 
manders  of  the  fact.  In  the  meantime,  Simon  son's  Battery, 
which  had  been  advanced,  was  as  a  matter  of  caution  withdrawn, 
and  posted  to  sweep  the  open  ground  to  the  rear  of  the  threatened 
brigade.  The  attack  came  about  an  hour  before  sundown,  and 
perpendicular  to  my  line.  The  Thirty-first  Indiana,  stationed 
upon  the  round-topped  hill,  found  itself  fired  into  from  three 
directions.  They  did  the  best  they  could  under  the  circum 
stances;  they  got  out  of  the  way  with  such  order  as  troops  can 
hurrying  through  a  thick  brush. 

"Directing  their  attack  more  to  our  rear  than  flank, 
the  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio  and  Eighty-first  Indiana 
were  soon  driven  back,  and  the  enemy  was  bursting  exultingly 
upon  the  open  field  when  Simonson  opened  on  them  with  can 
ister,  which  soon  broke  and  dispersed  their  attack.  The  enemy 
formed  in  the  woods,  and  attempted  to  cross  the  open  field  again, 
but  met  the  same  savage  shower  of  canister.  Robinson's  Bri 
gade,  of  the  Twentieth  Corps,  had  also  arrived,  and  formed 
facing  the  attack.  The  broken  regiments  of  the  First  Brigade 
had  re-formed  near  the  battery,  and  the  enemy  was  easily  re 
pulsed,  with  very  severe  loss  to  him.  The  troops  of  the  brigade 
did  as  well  as  could  be  expected,  situated  as  they  were.  Attacked 


86  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

in  the  flank  and  greatly  outnumbered,  they  could  only  get  out 
of  the  way  the  best  they  could.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  timely 
aid  of  the  battery,  it  would  have  gone  hard  with  the  brigade. 
Captain  Simonson  and  the  Fifth  Indiana  Battery  deserve  great 
praise ;  their  conduct  was  splendid.  The  coming  up  of  the  Twen 
tieth  Corps  was  also  timely,  though,  in  my  opinion,  the  fire  of 
the  battery  was  itself  adequate  to  the  successful  repulse  of  the 
enemy.  The  night  and  the  day  following,  our  lines  were  ad 
justed  and  strengthened,  and  a  constant  fire  was  kept  up  upon 
the  enemy.  The  division  was  formed  ready  to  follow  up  General 
Hooker's  attack,  had  he  broken  the  enemy's  lines.  Artillery  fir 
ing  was  kept  up  during  the  night  upon  the  rebel  position.  About 
eleven  o'clock  the  rebels  made  a  demonstration  on  our  pickets, 
occasioning  a  general  discharge  of  cannon  and  muskets  along 
the  whole  line.  Early  on  the  next  morning,  the  16th,  it  was 
found  the  enemy  had  evacuated  under  cover  of  the  night.  The 
loss  of  the  division  about  Resaca,  killed,  wounded,  and  missing, 
amounted  to  two  hundred. 

"Early  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  the  pursuit  was  com 
menced.  Finding  the  bridges  at  Resaca  destroyed,  this  division 
built  a  temporary  foot-bridge  upon  the  ruins  of  the  railroad 
bridge  over  the  Oostenaula,  and  pushed  on,  the  same  evening 
camping  near  Calhoun.  On  the  17th,  marched  in  rear  of  New 
ton's  Division,  and  formed  line  on  his  left  at  five  P.  M.,  three 
miles  north  of  Adairsville,  where  the  enemy  had  made  a  stand. 
On  the  18th,  passed  through  Adairsville,  getting  considerably 
entangled  with  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  camped  at  Cox's 
house.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  the  division  took  up 
the  line  of  march  for  Kingston.  The  cavalry  pickets  of  the 
enemy  were  soon  encountered,  and  driven  before  us  through 
Kingston.  We  found  them  posted  in  considerable  force  upon 
the  hills  east  of  Kingston,  beyond  the  crossing  of  the  creek. 
Craft's  and  Whitaker's  Brigades  were  formed  in  line  facing  the 
enemy,  and  Colonel  Grose  was  instructed  to  feel  his  way  down  to 
the  left  of  the  railroad,  and  drive  him  from  his  position.  This 
was  readily  accomplished  after  some  severe  skirmishing.  The 
enemy  upon  the  main  Cassville  road  gave  back  very  stubbornly, 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  87 

and  at  a  point  about  three  miles  from  Cassville  the  enemy  was 
discovered,  formed  in  three  lines  of  battle  perpendicular  to  the 
road,  and  very  soon  after  the  appearance  of  the  head  of  the 
column  the  entire  rebel  line  advanced  toward  us.  The  division 
was  deployed  hastily  as  possible,  batteries  were  put  in  position, 
and  other  troops  were  coining  up  to  form  upon  the  flanks  of  the 
division,  when  the  enemy  was  seen  withdrawing.  Some  volleys 
from  rifled  cannon  caused  them  to  move  off  in  a  good  deal  of 
confusion,  and  the  whole  division  advanced  in  line  to  the  rebel 
position.  Finding  the  enemy  had  left,  the  division  moved  on  in 
accordance  with  orders,  with  a  view  of  reaching  Cassville.  When 
within  about  a  mile  of  that  place,  and  while  changing  direction 
of  the  skirmishers,  the  head  of  the  column  received  a  sudden 
volley  from  the  enemy  across  an  open  field.  The  division  was 
again  deployed,  and  as  night  had  arrived,  the  men  were  in 
structed  to  fortify  their  positions.  Very  sharp  skirmishing  was 
kept  up  the  early  part  of  the  night,  and  early  in  the  morning  we 
found  the  enemy  had  again  abandoned  his  works,  and  retired 
across  the  Etowah. 

"From  the  evening  of  the  19th  to  the  morning  of  the  23d 
we  remained  in  camp  at  Cassville,  preparing  for  our  movement 
upon  Dallas  and  Marietta.  The  order  was  to  take  twenty  days' 
rations;  but  this  division  was  only  enabled,  from  limited  trans 
portation,  to  carry  seventeen  days.  The  division  crossed  the 
Etowah  the  evening  of  the  23d,  and  encamped  near  Euharlee. 
Made  a  tedious  day's  march  on  the  24th,  reaching  camp  two 
miles  from  Burnt  Hickory  at  ten  o'clock  at  night  in  a  rain 
storm.  On  the  25th,  we  marched  to  Dallas,  keeping  the  roads 
to  the  right  of  the  main  road.  At  three  P.  M.  were  ordered  to 
close  up  rapidly,  as  General  Hooker  had  found  the  enemy  in 
force.  We  crossed  the  Pumpkin  Vine  near  sunset,  and  at  night 
closed  up  to  Hooker's  left.  On  the  26th,  Colonel  Grose's  Brig 
ade  went  into  line  on  the  left  of  Geary's  Division.  We  also  put 
in  a  battery  to  play  upon  the  enemy's  lines.  Early  on  the  27th, 
moved  the  division  to  the  left  to  relieve  Wood's  Division,  which 
moved  off  to  the  left  to  attempt  to  turn  the  enemy's  right.  The 
position  of  the  division  here  remained  substantially  the  same 


88  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

until  the  night  of  the  4th  of  June,  during  which  time  the  enemy 
evacuated  his  line. 

"Craft's  Brigade  was  started  back  to  Kingston,  as  escort  to 
the  wagon  train  of  the  corps,  on  the  30th.  On  the  night  of  the 
3d  of  June  we  relieved  half  of  Davis's  front  on  the  left  of  this 
division.  Our  time  was  constantly  employed,  whilst  in  this 
position,  in  pushing  out  works,  by  successive  advances,  close  to 
the  enemy;  and  a  constant  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery  was  kept 
up  whenever  we  could  annoy  the  enemy.  The  5th  we  lay  in 
camp  near  "New  Hope  Church.  On  the  6th  the  division  moved 
on  the  Acworth  road  to  the  vicinity  of  Morris  Hill  Chapel.  The 
division  remained  in  position  at  Morris  Hill  until  the  morning 
of  the  10th,  when,  moving  through  the  lines  of  the  Twentieth 
Corps,  on  the  Marietta  road,  we  soon  struck  the  pickets  of  the 
enemy.  Pushing  forward,  the  enemy  was  found  in  force,  with 
an  intrenched  line  extending  across  the  summit  of  Pine  Top 
Mountain.  The  division  was  formed  facing  this  line  of  the 
enemy,  and  intrenched  in  full  view  and  under  easy  cannon-range 
of  them.  This  position  we  maintained  with  some  modifications 
until  the  morning  of  the  1 5th.  On  the  14th  the  position  of  the 
enemy  was  sharply  cannonaded  by  all  our  batteries,  and,  as  we 
learned  subsequently,  the  second  shot  fired  from  a  rifled  section 
of  the  Fifth  Indiana  Battery  exploded  in  a  group  of  rebel  Gen 
erals,  killing  Lieutenant-General  Leonidas  Polk.  Early  in  the 
morning  of  the  15th  it  was  found  the  enemy  had  abandoned  his 
work  on  Pine  Top.  The  position  was  at  once  occupied  by  our 
skirmishers,  and  it  was  learned  that  Pine  Top  was  an  advanced 
work,  the  main  rebel  line  being  in  the  rear  and  connecting  Xene- 
saw  and  Lost  Mountain.  Shortly  after  noon  the  division  was 
formed  in  column  of  attack,  following  the  Second  Division;  but 
the  General  commanding  the  corps  having  decided  an  attack 
impracticable  at  that  point  where  the  head  of  the  column  struck 
the  rebel  line,  this  division  formed  in  line  and  intrenched  oppo 
site  to  the  rebel  position.  On  the  16th,  the  line  was  advanced 
under  severe  fire.  A  heavy  cannonade  was  kept  up  upon  the 
rebel  position  all  day.  While  laying  out  a  position  for  a  battery 
this  day,  Captain  Peter  Simonson,  Fifth  Indiana  Battery,  Chief 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  89 

of  Artillery,  was  instantly  killed  by  a  sharpshooter.  This  was 
an  irreparable  loss  to  the  division.  I  have  not,  in  my  military 
experience,  met  with  an  officer  who  was  the  equal  of  this  one 
in  energy,  efficiency,  and  ingenuity  in  the  handling  of  artillery. 
He  never  missed  an  opportunity  and  allowed  no  difficulties  to 
deter  him  from  putting  in  his  batteries  in  every  position  that 
he  could  prove  annoying  or  destructive  to  the  enemy.  On  the 
morning  of  the  17th,  it  was  found  the  enemy  had  again  evacu 
ated  his  line,  and  we  advanced  to  find  that  he  had  abandoned  his 
hold  on  Lost  Mountain  with  his  left.  Again  we  had  the  experi 
ence  of  feeling  for  the  position  of  the  rebels,  and  found  him,  as 
usual,  strongly  intrenched  on  one  of  the  small  branches  of 
Noyes's  Creek.  On  the  18th,  the  rain  poured  in  torrents. 
Kirby's  Brigade  was  sent  to  support  General  Newton's  Division, 
which  engaged  the  enemy's  lines  closely  all  day.  This  night  the 
enemy  abandoned  his  line,  and  on  the  19th  we  moved  forward, 
and  found  him  in  his  intrenched  line  of  Kenesaw  Mountain. 
Our  lines  pushed  up  close  to  the  rebel  position,  and  intrenched 
during  the  night,  Grose's  Brigade  on  the  left,  Whitaker's  in  the 
center,  and  Kirby's  on  the  right.  These  positions  were  gained 
after  severe  skirmishing.  During  the  20th  we  strengthened 
our  position,  and  at  four  P.  M.  we  made  a  demonstration  with  a 
strong  line  of  skirmishers  on  our  whole  line.  Colonel  Price,  in 
command  of  General  Whitaker's  skirmishers,  gallantly  charged 
the  hill  in  his  front,  and  took  it,  with  a  number  of  prisoners. 
General  Whitaker's  main  line  was  ordered  to  be  established  on 
the  picket-line  captured  from  the  enemy.  The  pioneers  had 
only  time  to  throw  up  a  few  rails,  when  the  enemy  advanced  in 
strong  force  to  repossess  their  line.  Our  men  at  once  stood  to 
arms,  and  after  a  sharp  contest  repulsed  them.  At  sundown  the 
enemy  repeated  his  attempt,  and  was  again  severely  repulsed. 
Not  satisfied,  about  eight  o'clock  at  night  they  made  another 
determined  attack,  carrying  a  part  of  our  line  occupied  by  the 
Thirty-fifth  Indiana. 

"The  good  behavior  of  the  Ninetieth  Ohio,  which  coolly 
formed  a  flank  and  poured  a  fire  into  the  rebel  force  which  had 
broken  our  line,  saved  the  brigade.  The  Fortieth  Ohio  was 


90  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

brought  up,  and  charged  the  rebel  force  which  had  broken 
through,  restoring  our  lines.  This  affair,  which  was  a  very 
severe  fight,  reflects  great  credit  upon  Whitaker's  Brigade.  The 
men  fought  with  great  coolness  and  resolution.  The  loss  in  the 
brigade  was  quite  severe.  Five  field  officers  were  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing,  and  the  loss  in  the  affair  amounted  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Colonel  Kirby's  Brigade  carried 
the  bald  hill  in  his  front;  but  the  enemy  rallied  and  drove  him 
back.  This  occurred  three  times,  when,  night  having  arrived,  I 
directed  the  contest  to  stop.  On  the  morning  of  the  2 1st,  Col 
onel  Kirby  was  ordered  to  retake  the  hill  for  which  he  contended 
the  d'ay  before.  As  General  Wood's  Division  moved  forward 
at  the  same  time,  this  was  accomplished  with  slight  loss.  During 
the  22d  the  division  remained  in  position,  excepting  five  regi 
ments  of  Colonel  Grose's  Brigade,  which  marched  to  the  right 
'to  relieve  part  of  Butterfield's  Division.  At  night  General 
King's  Division  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps  relieved  us,  and  we,  in 
turn,  relieved  Butterfield's  Division  by  daylight  in  the  morn 
ing.  We  occupied  the  day  strengthening  our  position,  and 
about  five  P.  M.  formed  strong  picket-line  and  charged  that  of 
the  enemy,  capturing  about  forty  of  them.  Shortly  afterwards 
the  enemy  made  a  counter-charge,  and,  outflanking  the  skir 
mishers  of  Whitaker's  Brigade,  forced  them  back.  Our  loss  in 
the  affair  was  about  sixty  men.  During  the  24th,  25th,  and  26th, 
our  lines  were  a  little  advanced  and  improved.  "Our  position  was 
in  easy  musket-range  of  the  enemy. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  it  having  been  determined  to 
attack  the  enemy  from  the  front  of  the  First  Division,  this  divis 
ion  was  selected  as  the  support  of  the  assaulting  columns  of  the 
Second  Division,  which  was  selected  to  lead  the  assault.  Whit 
aker's  and  Kirby's  Brigades  were  formed  in  columns  of  regi 
ments;  Grose's  Brigade,  to  hold  the  line  of  breastworks,  was 
deployed.  From  the  failure  of  the  assault  the  troops  of  this 
division  were  not  engaged.  Kirby's  Brigade  only  passing  out 
of  the  works,  and  yet  so  severe  was  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  that 
the  division  lost  over  one  hundred  men  killed  and  wounded 
while  waiting  the  movement  of  the  Second  Division.  Captain 


In   tin'  ]]'<(,>  of  the   I!,-!.,li;<m.  91 

McDowell,  Company  B,  Independent  Battery,  my  second  chief 
of  artillery,  a  most  excellent  and  acomplished  young  officer,  was 
killed  while  superintending  his  batteries,  just  before  the  as 
sault.  From  this  date,  until  the  night  of  the  2d  of  July,  we 
merely  maintained  our  lines,  very  little  firing,  even  between 
pickets,  occurring.  On  the  night  of  the  2d  of  July,  the 
lines  of  the  First  Division  were  extended,  relieving  all  of  Gen 
eral  Newton's  division.  Early  the  morning  of  the  3d,  finding 
the  enemy  gone,  the  division  followed  their  trail,  leading 
through  Marietta,  and  taking  the  road  east  of  the  railroad  lead 
ing  to  Pace's  Ferry.  This  division  was  in  the  lead,  and  had 
some  skirmishing,  and  in  the  evening  came  again  upon  the 
enemy,  intrenched  at  Raff's  Station.  Grose's  brigade  alone  was 
deployed,  and  severe  skirmishing  was  kept  up  during  the 
evening.  About  eleven  o'clock  on  the  4th,  the  General  com 
manding  the  division  having  expressed  a  doubt  of  there  being 
an  enemy  in  force  in  front  of  us,  orders  were  given  to  feel  the 
position  strongly.  To  this  end  a  strong  skirmish-line,  well  sup 
ported,  was  deployed,  and  advanced  at  charge-step  over  the 
open  corn-field  against  the  enemy's  rifle-pits,  which  were  plainly 
visible  and  very  strong.  Colonel  Grose's  skirmishers,  having 
the  least  distance  to  move  to  strike  the  enemy,  at  once  came 
under  a  most  galling  fire.  The  day  being  very  hot,  the  men 
dropped  down  to  gain  breath,  after  making  half  the  distance; 
but  as  soon  as  a  little  rested,  they  wrere  rallied  by  the  brave 
Captain  Hale,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  Infantry,  commanding  the 
skirmish-line,  and  dashed  forward,  broke  the  rebel  line,  and  at 
once  occupied  their  pits.  The  main  lines  of  the  division  were 
moved  up  at  once,  and  established  themselves  on  the  late 
rebel  picket-line  under  the  severest  and  most  continued  cannon- 
•ade  the  rebels  had  ever  used  upon  us.  Our  loss  in  this  affair 
was  one  hundred  men  killed  and  wounded.  We  took  fifty 
prisoners  of  the  enemy.  This  same  night  the  enemy  abandoned 
his  line,  and  withdrew  to  the  river,  and  on  the  5th  the  division 
followed  in  rear  of  the  corps  on  the  railroad,  and  took  position 
on  the  Chattahoochee,  above  Pace's  Ferry.  From  the  5th  un 
til  the  10th,  we  remained  resting  in  camp,  occasionally  shelling 


D2  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

the  rebels  across  the  river,  and  picketing  the  river  and  islands. 
On  the  10th,  the  division  moved  up  to  Soap  Creek,  and  bivou 
acked  near  the  pontoon  bridges  thrown  across  by  General 
Schofield. 

aOn  the  morning  of  the  12th,  the  division  crossed  on  the 
pontoon  bridge  laid  for  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  and,  moving 
down  the  river,  occupied  and  fortified  a  prominent  ridge 
covering  Power's  Ferry.  The  rest  of  the  corps  having  crossed 
and  taken  position,  the  14th,  15th,  and  16th  were  occupied  in 
building  a  bridge  over  the  Ohattahoochee.  This  was  well  done 
by  Major  Watson,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois,  with  the  pioneeers  and 
Thirty-sixth  Indiana.  On  the  morning  of  the  18th,  we  marched 
for  Atlanta,  marching  via  Buck  Head.  We  encamped  that 
night  at  Buck  Head,  and  the  next  morning  sent  a  regiment  on 
a  reconnaissance  to  Peach-tree  Creek.  Finding  but  little  re 
sistance,  the  division  was  crossed  over  the  north  fork  of  Peach 
Tree  on  bridges  rebuilt  by  us,  and  encamped  in  line  facing  At 
lanta.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  20th,  we  marched  on  the 
Decatur  road  to  the  match  factory,  when,  turning  to  the  right, 
we  crossed  the  south  fork  of  Peach  Tree.  Rebuilding  the  bridge 
burnt  by  the  enemy,  and  driving  his  skirmishers  back,  we 
forced  him  from  his  intrenched  skirmish-line  and  back  to  his 
main  line,  near  Wright's  house.  The  enemy  made  an  effort  in 
the  afternoon  to  retake  his  picket-line,  but  was  badly  repulsed; 
and  late  in  the  evening,  Colonel  Suman,  Ninth  Indiana, 
charged  their  picket-line  further  to  our  right,  and  took  forty- 
three  prisoners  without  losing  a  man. 

"During  the  21st,  we  improved  our  line,  skirmishing  with 
the  rebels  all  d'ay.  Captain  Snodgrass,  Fortieth  Ohio,  was 
killed.  The  enemy  evacuated  his  line  during  the  night,  and 
early  in  the  morning,  Colonel  Grose's  brigade  leading,  we  fol 
lowed,  and  soon  came  upon  the  enemy  again  in  force,  in  their 
intrenchments  of  Atlanta.  The  entire  division  was  deployed, 
and  advanced,  under  a  very  annoying  artillery-fire,  to  the  near 
est  point  we  could  occupy  without  driving  the  enemy  from  his 
lines,  and  breastworks  were  thrown  up  to  shelter  the  men  from 
the  enemy's  shells.  This  same  day,  the  rebels  attacked  the 


In  the  War  of  the   Itifx  I! '/,,,,.  93 

Army  of  the  Tennessee  heavily  upon  the  left,  but  made  no 
demonstration  upon  our  position. 

"From  this,  until  the  night  of  the  26th,  the  division  was 
engaged  in  strengthening  our  position,  and  especially  in  con 
structing  a  strong  abatis,  as  it  was  probable  that  the  division 
would  be  required  to  hold  a  very  long  line,  in  consequence  of 
the  withdrawal  of  troops  toward  our  right.  On  the  26th,  Colo 
nels  Taylor  and  Kirby's  brigades  were  sent  to  occupy  the  reverse 
lines,  to  the  left  of  the  Twenty-third  Army  Corps.  On  the  same 
evening,  the  command  of  the  Fourth  Army  Corps  was  trans 
ferred  to  me,  and  my  connection  with  the  First  Division,  as 
commander,  ceased. 

"I  have  thus  imperfectly  traced  out  the  marches,  fights,  and 
labors  of  the  division.  It  would  be  difficult  to  give  a  description 
which  would  adequately  show  the  services  rendered  for  nearly 
three  months.  But  few  days  had  passed,  that  every  man  of  the 
division  was  not  under  fire,  both  of  artillery  and  musketry.  No 
one  could  say  any  hour,  that  he  would  be  living  the  next.  Men 
were  killed  in  their  camps,  at  their  meals;  and  several  cases  hap 
pened,  where  men  were  struck  by  musket-balls  in  their  sleep, 
and  passing  at  once  from  sleep  into  eternity.  So  many  men 
were  daily  struck  in  the  camp  and  trenches,  that  men  became 
utterly  reckless,  passing  about  where  balls  were  striking,  as 
though  it  was  their  normal  life,  and  making  a  joke  of  a  narrow 
escape  or  a  noisy,  whistling  ball. 

"We  lost  many  valuable  officers.  Colonel  Price,  Twenty- 
first  Kentucky;  Colonel  Champion  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Smith,  Ninety-sixth  Illinois,  were  all  severely  wounded  in  the 
fight  of  Whitaker's  Brigade  on  the  20th  of  June.  Major  Duf- 
ficy,  Thirty-fifth  Indiana,  "a  gallant  and  daring  officer,  was 
mortally  wounded;  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Watson,  Fortieth 
Ohio,  captured  in  the  same  affair.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Neff, 
Thirty-first  Indiana,  a  most  excellent  officer,  was  killed  by  one 
of  those  chance  bullets,  so  destructive  to  us  during  our  occu 
pation  of  trenches  in  front  of  Kenesaw  Mountain. 

"To  mention  all  the  officers  deserving  of  special  notice  for 
zeal  and  good  conduct  in  this  long  and  arduous  campaign,. 


94  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

would  require  the  naming  of  the  great  majority  of  the  officers 
of  the  division." 

When  General  Stanley  took  command  of  the  Fourth  Corps, 
Brigadier-General  Nathan  Kimball  assumed  command  of  the 
First  Division.  He  made  an  official  report  of  the  transactions  of 
the  division  from  the  time  he  took  command  until  September  8, 
1864;  but  his  report  is  very  general,  and  deals  almost  exclu 
sively  with  the  command  as  brigades. 

Neither  General  Stanley  nor  Colonel  Kirby  does  the  Thirty- 
first  Regiment  justice  in  their  reports.  At  one  time  the 
Thirty-first  Regiment,  alone,  captured  a  line  of  rebel  pickets, 
who  were  strongly  intrenched  in  rifle-pits,  without  losing  a  man, 
and  who  numbered  more  than  the  whole  division  had  captured  at 
any  one  time.  The  regiment  was  complimented  in  Special  Or 
ders;  but  the  fact  is  not  mentioned  by  either  of  the  command 
ers  in  their  reports. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Joseph  S.  Fullerton,  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General,  of  the  Fourth  Army  Corps,  kept  a  daily  journal  of 
the  Atlanta  Campaign,  in  which  the  important  events  of  the 
entire  corps  are  faithfully  recorded.  He  says,  under  date  of 
August  5th,  after  heavy  firing  had  been  heard  in  front  of 
Generals  Schofield  and  Palmer,  and  it  was  suspicion ed  that  the 
rebels  had  weakened  their  lines  on  their  right:  "At  five  P.  M., 
Colonel  Smith's  regiment — Thirty-first  Indiana — was  sent  out 
to  the  left  on  a  reconnaissance  to  move  toward  the  Augusta 
railroad.  After  Colonel  Smith  had  gone  six  hundred  yards,  he 
came  up  with  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  and  he  quickly  drove 
them  back  to  their  main  works.  Soon  he  discovered  one  regi 
ment  of  the  enemy  moving  out  to  his  left,  and  another  to  his 
right,  and  he  slowly  fell  back  to  oiir  works." 

The  order  for  this  reconnaissance  was  given  by  General 
Kimball  in  person,  who  shook  hands,  bidding  us  farewell,  with 
tears  running  down  his  cheeks.  We  inquired  about  the  cause 
of  his  trouble,  when  he  replied,  that  the  result  of  obeying  that 
order  would  be  the  destruction  of  the  regiment.  We  replied 
that  there  were  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  men  there  around 
Atlanta,  and  that  we  were  ready  and  willing  to  do  our  share 


CAPTAIN  NOAH  BEOWN. 
COMPANY  H. 


JAMES  C.  BEELER. 
QUARTERMASTER.  . 


GEORGE  M.  NOBLE. 
ADJUTANT. 


M.  T.  KELLEY. 
COMPANY  I. 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  97 

of  the  work  in  destroying  the  rebel  army ;  but  that  we  did  not  pro 
pose  to  destroy  the  regiment  simply  in  trying  to  obey  an  order; 
that,  at  the  end  of  an  honest  effort,  we  would  stop. 

After  we  had  got  within  full  view  of  the  rebel  rifle-pits,  a 
portion  of  the  regiment  was  deployed  into  a  skirmish-line,  and 
we  advanced;  but,  on  getting,  within  easy  musket-range,  the 
rebels  abandoned  their  pits,  and  marched  back  to  their  main 
line.  The  regiment  advanced  to  within  a  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  of  the  rebel  works,  when  it  was  halted,  and  we  approached 
the  works,  near  enough  to  talk  to  the  rebels  in  their  works.  We 
had  not  passed  along  their  line  very  far  until  we  discovered 
the  regiment  was  moving  back.  The  rebels  very  kindly  noti 
fied  us,  not  to  go  back,  and  invited  us  to  come  in.  We  replied 
that,  for  several  days,  we  had  been  thinking  about  coming  in, 
and  to  please  give  us  a  little  time.  Just  ahead  of  us,  a  short 
distance,  was  a  ravine,  and  we  found  it  quite  difficult  to  walk 
leisurely,  until  we  reached  the  ravine;  but,  when  once  there, 
we  made  long,  rapid  strides  to  the  rear.  After  passing  the  rebel 
rifle-pits,  the  rebels  threw  a  few  solid  shot,  some  of  which  came 
dangerously  near  us,  but  no  one  was  hurt.  Our  escape  grew 
out  of  the  fact  that  the  rebels  thought  they  could  throw  a  force 
around  us  in  such  a  way,  that  they  could  capture  the  entire 
command,  -and  sent  out  lines,  both  to  our  right  and  left;  but 
they  failed  to  make  connection.  We  were  enabled  to  make 
report  of  their  number  of  siege-guns  and  batteries,  the  charac 
ter  of  their  works,  and  apparent  force.  General  Grose  called 
in  question  the  correctness  of  the  report,  and  he  and  General 
Kimball  had  some  pretty  hot  words  in  relation  to  it;  and  as  a 
result,  General  Grose  was  sent  out  the  next  day  to  verify  the 
report  with  his  brigade.  He  made  a  vigorous  attack  on  the 
rebel  rifle-pits  on  the  same  ground,  and  was  unable  to  move 
them.  He  lost  about  thirty  men  wounded.  After  the  fall  of 
Atlanta,  we  had  the  pleasure  of  inspecting  these  works  along 
with  General  Grose  and  Major  Brant,  of  the  Eighty-fifth  In 
diana  Regiment,  and  the  General  frankly  admitted  the  correct 
ness  of  the  report,  and  so  informed  General  Kimball. 

May  3,  1864,  we  broke  camp  at  Ooltawah,  Georgia,  about 


98  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

noon,  and  took  up  the  line  of  march  towards  Ringgold,  and 
arrived  at  Catoosa  Springs  about  noon  the  next  day;  and  here 
we  joined  the  rest  of  the  division.  In  the  afternoon,  we  moved 
out  about  two  miles,  and  camped  on  a  high  ridge,  south  of 
Catoosa  Springs.  This  afternoon  we  had  some  skirmishing  with 
rebel  cavalry.  We  remained  here  in  camp  the  5th  and  6th, 
and  the  morning  of  the  7th  found  us  on  the  march  for 
Tunnel  Hill,  our  division  being  in  the  advance,  and  our  brigade 
in  the  advance  of  the  division.  We  had  not  moved  far  until 
we  commenced  skirmishing,  which  was  kept  up  all  the  way  to 
Tunnel  Hill,  the  road  being  obstructed  in  every  conceivable 
manner  by  fallen  trees.  We  reached  Tunnel  Hill  about  noon, 
and,  after  some  very  sharp  skirmishing  and  heavy  artillery  firing, 
we  passed  through  the  town  a  short  distance,  and  bivouacked  for 
the  night.  The  morning  of  the  8th,  we  soon  found  the  enemy 
strongly  posted  at  Rocky  Face,  and  still  holding  some  of  the 
hills,  on  which  they  were  intrenched,  at  the  entrance  of 
Buzzard  Roost  Gap  and  along  Chattahoochee  Mountain.  Our 
corps  was  halted  in  front  of  the  Gap,  and  remained  here  until 
the  morning  of  the  13th,  having  more  or  less  skirmishing  every 
day.  On  the  evening  of  the  llth,  the  brigade  was  ordered 
to  charge  Rocky  Face.  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  and  the  One 
Hundred  and  First  Ohio  constituted  the  front  line  of  battle. 
The  face  of  the  mountain  was  so  steep,  and  the  fire  of  the  en 
emy  was  so  severe,  that  the  troops  had  to  be  drawn  off  after 
dark.  In  this  fight  the  regiment  lost  two  men  killed  and  eighteen 
wounded.  The  12th,  the  regiment  was  engaged  in  throwing  up 
breastworks  in  front  of  the  Gap.  The  morning  of  the  13th, 
it  was  ascertained  that  the  enemy  had  evacuated  his  works, 
and  had  fallen  back.  We  marched  immediately  through  the 
Gap,  and  passed  through  Dalton,  and  bivouacked  on  the  road 
leading  to  Resaca.  During  the  night  we  intrenched,  there 
having  been  sharp  fighting  to  our  left.  The  14th,  marched 
on  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  and  were  soon  engaged  with  his 
skirmishers,  driving  them  back.  WTe  were  now  heading  towards 
Tilton,  and  followed  the  Tilton  road  until  we  reached  the  main 
Dalton  and  Resaca  road,  when  we  turned  south,  our  division 


Li  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  '.»',» 

being  the  only  troops  on  that  road,  and  forming  the  left  flank 
of  the  army — our  brigade  being  the  extreme  left.  We  had  ad 
vanced  to  a  point  within  about  two  miles  of  Resaca,  and  had 
been  driving  the  skirmishers  of  the  enemy  the  most  of  the  day. 
AYith  a  view  of  holding  the  Dalton  road,  and  protecting  the 
flank  of  the  army,  the  brigades  of  our  division  were  in  detach 
ments — our  brigade  being  still  to  the  left  of  the  Dalton  road. 
The  Thirty-first  Regiment  being  sent  up  on  a  round-topped  hill, 
with  orders  to  intrench,  and  hold  the  hill  at  every  hazard. 
After  a  sharp  skirmish,  the  hill  was  taken  without  loss,  and 
skirmishers  were  advanced;  but  they  soon  encountered  several 
lines  of  battle,  and  troops  were  rapidly  passing  around  to  our 
left.  Word  had  been  sent  to  the  brigade  commander  that  the 
hill  could  not  be  held  twenty  minutes.  The  orders  sent  back 
were  but  a  repetition— -to  hold  the  hill  at  every  hazard.  We 
immediately  sent  the  Orderly  back  with  the  word  that  we  could 
not  hold  the  place  ten  minutes.  The  orderly  had  scarcely 
started,  when  we  discovered  Colonel  Neff  about-facing  the 
three  left  companies.  Inasmuch  as  we  had  three  lines  of  battle 
in  our  front,  we  knew  the  emergency  that  required  that  action 
must  be  great,  so  we  stepped  quickly  a  half  dozen  steps  to  the 
rear,  and,  to  our  amazement,  we  found  two  lines  of  battle  climb 
ing  the  hill  in  our  rear,  and  very  near  the  top.  The  command* 
was  given,  "By  the  right  flank,  double-quick;  every  fellow  for 
himself!'7  and  much  quicker  than  it  can  be  told,  every  man  of 
the  regiment,  except  two,  came  off — William  R.  Boon,  of  Com 
pany  F,  and  -  — ,  of  Company  — ,  were  unwell,  and 
thought  they  could  not  run,  so  they  were  captured.  The  regi 
ment  had  been  cautioned,  and  told  that,  in  the  event  it  had  to 
come  off  the  hill  in  confusion,  to  halt  at  the  Dalton  road,  and 
form  a  skirmish  line,  hold  the  enemy  in  check,  and  fall  back 
as  it  was  forced  to.  The  regiment  reached  the  road,  all  at  about 
the  same  time;  and  skirmishing  immediately  began.  It  was 
then  discovered  that  we  had  but  few  ramrods.  While  on  the 
hill,  the  men  were  so  hotly  engaged  that  they  did  not  take  time 
to  return  rammer,  but  stuck  it  into  the  ground,  and  their 
departure  was  so  sudden,  that  the  rammers  were  left.  We 


100  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

had  been  at  the  road  but  a  very  few  minutes  when  a  young 
officer  rode  up,  and  directed  us  to  march  back  across  a  field,  and 
support  a  battery.  The  regiment  passed  out  of  the  wood'  on 
quick  time,  and  then  went  double-quick  across  the  field,  and 
formed  in  line  to  the  left  .of  the  Fifth  Indiana  Battery.  By 
the(  time  this  was  accomplished,  the  rebels,  in  three  lines  of 
battle,  marched  exultingly  out  of  the  wood  into  the  field,  with 
their  guns  at  right-shoulder  shift,  as  though  they  were  going 
on  parade.  They  had  come  about  half  across  the  field — prob 
ably  within  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards — when  the  battery 
opened.  xYfter  the  first  fire,  we  could  see  nothing  in  consequence 
of  the  smoke  from  the  guns.  A  few  rounds  were  fired,  and  the 
smoke  rose  up,  and  not  a  man  could  be  seen  standing  up.  Just 
at  this  time  General  Hooker  rode  up,  and  deployed  a  brigade  of 
his  (Twentieth)  Corps,  and  advanced,  and  retook  the  hill.  The 
Thirty-first  Regiment  gathered  up  the  dead  and  wounded,  result 
of  the  work  of  the  battery.  There  were  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  dead,  and  probably  twice  that  number  wounded.  A  de 
tail  of  one  man  from  each  company  was  sent  out  for  ramrods, 
and  very  soon  each  man  returned  with  an  armload.  The  entire 
brigade  suffered  more  or  less  confusion,  as  each  regiment  was 
more  or  less  detached,  completely  flanked,  and  contending  with 
such  a  superior  force.  As  night  had  come  on,  we  moved  to 
the  right,  and  bivouacked  in  rear  of  the  division.  During  the 
most  of  the  day,  the  15th,  there  was  heavy  fighting,  more  or  less 
along  the  whole  line.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  16th,  it  was 
ascertained  that  the  rebels  had  evacuated  under  cover  of  the 
night,  and  the  pursuit  was  immediately  commenced.  The  regi 
ment  marched  through  their  works,  and  on  through  Resaca, 
and  crossed  the  Oostenaula  River  on  an  improvised  foot-bridge 
on  the  ruins  of  the  railroad-bridge.  The  rear  of  the  rebel 
army  was  closely  pressed  until  night,  when  we  bivouacked,  near 
Calhoun.  The  17th,  we  continued  to  press  the  rear  of  the  rebel 
army,  and  had  some  sharp  skirmishing.  Companies  F  and  G 
were  side  skirmishers.  The  18th,  the  regiment  was  rear  guard 
for  the  entire  corps  train.  Did  not  get  started  until  noon,  and 
marched  all  night,  passing  through  Adairsville.  The  regiment 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  1 ( '  1 

slept  about  an  hour,  and  was  into  line  on  the  19th,  and  took 
position  in  the  front  line.  About  ten  A.  M.,  we  arrived  at 
Kingston,  and  scarcely  passed  through  the  town  until  heavy 
skirmishing  and  artillery  firing  commenced,  and  continued  the 
remainder  of  the  day.  We  were  pressing  the  enemy  closely, 
and  moved  in  line  of  battle,  over  hills,  across  hollows,  and 
through  brush  and  briers.  The  army  settled  down  at  night 
to  rest,  with  heavy  skirmishing  in  front.  The  two  next 
days  we  rested.  On  the  23d,  two  P.  M.,  we  were  again 
on  the  march,  and  crossed  the  Etowah  River,  and  contin 
ued  our  march  until  eight  o'clock  at  night,  and  camped  near 
Euharlee.  Made  a  tedious  day's  march  on  the  24th,  and  went 
into  camp  a  couple  of  miles  from  Burnt  Hickory.  The  night 
was  extremejy  dark,  and  it  rained  quite  hard,  and  a  large  number 
of  men  fell  out  of  line,  and  did  not  get  in  until  next  morning. 
On  the  25th,  at  ten  A.  M.,  marched  for  Dallas,  keeping  the 
roads  to  the  right  of  the  main  road.  In  the  afternoon,  we 
crossed  the  Pumpkin-vine  Creek,  and  at  night  closed  up  to 
Hooker's  left,  he  having  had  a  pretty  heavy  engagement  with 
the  enemy  at  Dallas  Woods.  The  26th,  the  army  was 
maneuvering  and  getting  into  position  all  day,  with  heavy  skir 
mishing  on  the  front  line.  The  morning  of  the  27th,  the 
Thirty-first  took  position  on  the  front  line,  and,  for  awhile, 
was  under  a  terrific  artillery  fire;  but,  during  the  forenoon, 
was  relieved,  and  took  position  in  reserve,  in  support  of  artillery. 
The  28th,  moved  to  the  left,  and  commenced  throwing  up 
breastworks  close  in  the  rear  of  Wood's  Division.  There  was 
heavy  skirmishing  and  artillery  firing  all  day.  We  re 
mained  in  this  position  until  the  30th,  when  the  regiment  moved 
to  the  left  to  support  some  cavalry.  The  regiment  returned  late 
in  the  evening,  and  in  a  short  time  started  back  to  Kingston 
as  escort  to  wagon-train  of  the  corps;  moved  around  the  right 
of  the  army  on  to  the  Kingston  road,  a  distance  of  about  six 
miles,  and  camped  on  Pumpkin-vine  Creek  for  the  night. 

The  instructions  as  train  guard  were,  to  keep  a  sharp  look 
out  for  the  enemy  in  the  direction  of  Richland  Creek  as  the 
train  approached  Stilesborough,  and  to  keep  the  train  at  Kings- 


102  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

ton  until  the  arrival  of  General  Blair's  command  there,  and  to 
follow  it  back  as  far  as  he  marches  on  the  return  route. 

On  the  31st,  again  on  the  move  with  the  train,  and  arrived 
at  Kingston,  June  2,  1864.  On  the  4th,  the  train  was  loaded, 
and  started  for  the  front,  arriving  at  the  foot  of  Altooney 
Mountain  on  the  5th.  Here  the  Thirty-first  was  detailed  to 
help  the  train  up  the  mountain,  working  until  midnight.  We 
made  slow  headway  the  6th,  owing  to  recent  rains  and  the 
rough  country  we  had  to  pass  over,  but  reached  Pumpkin-vine 
Creek,  and  bivouacked.  The  Tth,  had  considerable  corduroy 
ing  to  do  on  the  roads,  as  the  ground  was  everywhere  soft,  and 
some  places  were  swampy.  We  rejoined  the  division  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  from  Acworth,  near  Morris  Hill 
Chapel.  We  remained  here  until  the  morning  of  the  10th, 
when  we  marched  three  miles,  passing  the  front  lines.  The 
Thirty-first  being  thrown  out  on  the  left  as  skirmishers,  we 
soon  engage  the  rebel  skirmish-line,  which  we  drive  back  two 
miles,  where  we  find  the  enemy  strongly  posted,  with  an  in 
trenched  line  extending  across  the  summit  of  Pine  Top  Moun 
tain.  The  division  was  here  put  into  position  and  intrenched 
in  full  view  and  easy  cannon-range  of  them.  This  position  we 
maintained  with  very  little  change  until  the  morning  of  the 
15th.  In  the  meantime,  we  continued  to  strengthen  our  works 
and  skirmish  with  the  enemy.  The  14th  was  a  rainy,  disagree 
able  day,  and  our  batteries  kept  up  a  pretty  vigorous  fire  most, 
of  the  day.  We  soon  learned  that  a  shot  from  the  Fifth  Indiana 
Battery  exploded  a  shell  in  a  group  of  rebel  officers,  and  killing 
rebel  General  Leonidas  Polk.  This  evidently  exasperated  the 
rebels,  for  they  opened  with  their  artillery  on  us,  and  a  solid 
shot  passed  under  the  neck  of  Colonel  Smith's  horse,  break 
ing  both  bridle-reins,  and,  passing  on  to  the  right  and  rear,  it 
knocked  down  a  few  panel  of  fence,  and  killed  one  man.  On 
the  morning  of  the  15th,  we  found  that  the  enemy  had,  during 
the  night,  evacuated  their  position  on  Pine  Top  Mountain;  and 
we  moved  forward,  and  occupied  their  late  position,  but  soon 
after  moved  on  through  the  woods,  changing  our  course  more 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  103 

to  the  right,  the  rebel  army  being,  all  the  time,  our  objective 
point. 

On  the  morning  of  June  16,  1864,  the  Thirty -first  went 
on  to  the  skirmish-line,  with  orders  to  press  the  enemy.  The 
rebel  skirmishers  were  driven  into  their  intrenchments,  which 
were  strongly  built  on  the  farther  edge  of  a  prominent  ridge, 
which  was  some  seventy-five  yards  wide.  We  determined  to 
intrench  on  the  crest  of  the  same  ridge.  There  was  a  large  log 
lying  in  the  valley,  off  of  which  we  took  a  cut  some  sixteen 
feet  in  length,  which  we  rolled  up  the  hill  into  the  line  where  we 
desired  to  erect  our  works.  A  line  of  men  was  formed,  lying 
down,  and  a  quantity  of  brush  was  passed  along  up  the  line, 
and  thrown  over  the  log.  Then  the  shovels  were  kept  busy, 
cutting  a  large  ditch,  and  throwing  the  dirt  over  onto  the  brush. 
This  operation  was  repeated  until  the  entire  log  had  been  rolled 
up  the  hill,  and  the  regiment  strongly  intrenched,  in  open  day 
light,  and  within  less  than  a  hundred  yards  of  the  rebel  works. 
The  Ninetieth  Ohio  Regiment  continued  the  line,  and  by  a 
little  after  night  the  two  regiments  were  in  a  strong  position. 
General  Joe  Hooker  came  along  in  the  morning,  just  after  we 
had  commenced  to  work,  and  directed  us  to  quit.  He  was  in 
formed  that  he  was  not  in  command1  of  these  troops.  He  then 
told  us  to  go,  and  report  to  our  commander  that  Joe  Hooker  said 
that  work  could  not  be  accomplished,  and  for  him  to  hav$ 
us  quit  our  foolishness.  He  came  along  again  in  the  afternoon, 
dismounted,  walked  up,  and  inspected  the  work,  and  inquired 
if  we  had  reported  to  our  commander  what  he  had  said ;  and,  on 
being  informed  that  we  had  not,  he  said,  "Please,  do  n't  say 
a  word  about  it,"  and  then  added,  "Put  in  that  other  regiment, 
and  the  rebels  will  either  have  to  put  you  out  of  this,  or  else 
they  will  have  to  get  away."  Soon  after,  the  rebels  opened  on 
us  with  their  artillery,  and  it  looked,  for  a  time,  that  they  would 
knock  everything  down  that  we  had  put  up;  but  it  was  not 
long  until  our  batteries  got  into  position,  and  the  rebels  were 
quieted;  and  the  night  following,  the  enemy  evacuated.  The 
next  morning,  we  moved  into  their  works,  and  took  our  break- 


104  Tfte  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

fast.  This  was  the  line  of  works  that  had  been  erected  under 
the  supervision  of  Governor  Brown,  of  Georgia,  for  the  Yankees 
to  use  in  butting  out  their  brains.  The  building  of  these  works 
by  the  Thirty-first,  on  the  16th,  was  one  of  the  most  gallant 
and  skillful  performances  of  the  entire  campaign.  tThe  work 
was  done  under  a  brisk  skirmish-fire  and  at  very  great  risk, 
and  yet  there  was  not  a  man  hurt.  The  credit  of  the  thing 
was  wholly  due  to  the  Thirty-first  Regiment,  although  Colonel 
Kirby,  in  his  official  report,  tries  to  deny  it.  He  says:  aJune 
16th,  skirmishers  briskly  engaged  the  entire  day.  During  the 
day,  the  Thirty-first  Indiana  and  a  part  of  the  Ninetieth  Ohio 
intrenched  on  the  skirmish-line,  in  an  open  field,  and  imme 
diately  under  the  enemy's  guns,  performing  their  work  gal 
lantly.  The  Ninetieth  and  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio  com 
pleted  the  line  in  the  early  part  of  the  night." 

The  evacuation  of  these  works  compelled  the  enemy  to 
loosen  his  hold  on  Lost  Mountain.  As  soon  as  we  had  taken 
our  breakfast,  we  again  started  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy;  and 
after  marching  some  three  miles  we  found  them  in  a  strong 
position,  well  intrenched.  It  seems  as  though  they  had  all  the 
colored  men  of  the  South  constantly  engaged  in  building  works. 
They  wrould  evacuate  a  position  that  actually  appeared  impreg 
nable,  and  fall  back  but  a  few  miles,  and  in  less  than  half  a 
day  were  in  position,  apparently  just  as  strong.  Those  moun 
tains  were  admirable  for  defense.  All  afternoon  there  was 
heavy  shirmishing,  and  late  in  the  evening  there  was~  a  regular 
artillery  duel,  our  batteries  firing  "by  battery."  The  18th,  rain 
fell  in  sheets  and  in  torrents.  Our  lines  were  advanced,  and 
there  was  considerable  fighting  all  along  the  line.  In  the  after 
noon,  we  took  position  in  line  of  battle,  and  threw  up  temporary 
works.  The  enemy  opened  on  us  with  their  artillery,  and  made 
things  quite  hot  for  us.  After  nightfall,  we  moved  a  consider 
able  distance  to  the  right.  The  morning  of  the  19th,  we  ad 
vanced  between  two  and  three  miles,  skirmishing  heavily  all 
the  time,  the  rebels  falling  back  stubbornly.  In  the  evening 
of  the  20th,  we  charged  a  bald  knob  with  skirmish-line,  and 
captured  it,  and,  after  holding  it  for  some  time,  our  ammuni- 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  105 

tion  being  exhausted,  we  had  to  abandon  it.    In  this  charge,  the 
regiment  lost  one  man  killed  and  four  wounded. 

In  the  evening,  General  Stanley  came  to  us,  and  said  he 
was  directed  to  take  that  hill  with  one  regiment,  and,  as  it  was 
directly  in  our  front,  he  guessed  we  would  have  to  take  it.  We 
told  him,  if  we  could  have  our  own  time  and  way,  we  would 
willingly  make  the  attempt.  "When  is  your  time?"  was  his 
inquiry,  and  we  replied,  "To-morrow  morning,  at  daylight." 
"All  right,"  he  said,  "take  it  to-morrow  morning."  The  hill 
was  really  a  kind  of  short,  abrupt  ridge,  just  about  midway  be 
tween  the  two  armies,  and  near  the  end  of  it,  to  our  left,  there 
was  a  sugar-loaf  hill.  From  one  end  of  the  ridge  to  the  other 
there  was  a  continuous  line  of  rifle-pits,  occupied  by  a  heavy 
line  of  pickets.  Soon  after  dark,  in  company  with  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Neff,  we  explored  the  sugar-loaf  hill,  and  found  that 
it  was  not  occupied  by  the  rebels;  but  they  had  a  rifle-pit 
within  fifteen  yards  of  its  base.  We  agreed  that  Colonel  Neff 
should  intrench  his  old  company  (D)  on  the  hill.  This  was 
a  difficult  undertaking,  as  it  was  so  near  to  the  enemy's  pickets, 
but  it  was  skillfully  and  gallantly  done.  Before  daylight  the 
next  morning,  the  regiment  was  moved  out  by  platoons  to  a 
point  as  near  the  enemy  as  we  could  get  without  attracting  at 
tention,  and  was  to  lie  down  until  six  o'clock,  at  which  time 
Company  D  was  to  open  fire  on  the  rebel  picket-line,  and,  while 
their  attention  was  attracted  by  the  firing  from  an  unexpected 
direction,  the  regiment  was  to  charge  the  line.  The  whole  thing 
went  like  clock  work.  We  captured  every  man  on  the  line — 
a  number  almost  as  large  as  the  regiment — without  firing  a  gun. 
We  immediately  went  to  work,  facing  the  rifle-pits  the  other 
way,  and  otherwise  strengthening  the  works.  The  rebels 
opened  on  us  immediately  with  their  artillery;  and  it  was 
here  they  cut  down  a  dead  tree,  nearly  a  foot  in  diameter, 
with  a  cannon-ball,  which  fell  lengthwise  with  our  line  and  a 
very  few  feet  in  its  rear;  and  before  the  thing  was  still,  men 
enough  took  hold  of  it  to  pick  it  up  and  carry  it  into  proper 
position  for  the  breastworks,  and  called  to  the  Johnnies  to  cut 
down  that  other  tree  that  stood  near  by.  The  taking  of  this 


106  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

hill  was  considered  such  a  clever  trick,  that  the  regiment  was 
complimented  in  Special  Orders,  as  follows: 

"HEADQUARTERS  FIRST  DIVISION,  FOURTH  ARMY  CORPS,  ) 
"  KENESAW  MOUNTAIN,  GA.,  June  21,  1864,         J 

"COLONEL, — General  Thomas  has  been  notified  by  General 
Howard  of  your  success  in  charging  and  holding  the  hill  in 
your  front  to-day,  and  in  a  note  to  General  Howard  expressed 
his  gratification  and  thanks  to  the  troops  for  the  work  they  have 
done.  Please  communicate  to  your  command  the  thanks  of 
Generals  Thomas  and  Stanley  for  the  success  they  have 
achieved. 

"I  am  your  obedient  servant, 

"N.  H.  SINCLAIR,  A.  A.  G. 
"  COLONEL  THIRTY-FIRST  INDIANA." 

The  22d,  we  were  sharply  engaged,  skirmishing  all  day. 
Late  in  the  evening,  the  enemy  advanced  on  our  skirmish- 
line,  and,  at  the  same  time,  opened  on  us  with  a  battery.  The 
shells  came  immediately  over  us,  and  exploded  very  near  us, 
but  our  works  had  been  so  strengthened  that  we  were  wrell 
protected.  About  ten  o'clock  P.  M.,  we  moved  out  about  one 
mile  to  the  right,  and  stacked  arms  in  the  rear  of  the  line  of 
battle,  and  remained  until  about  eight  o'clock  A.  M.,  June 
23d,  when  we  took  position  in  the  second  line  of  works.  In 
the  afternoon,  we  moved  forward  in  line  of  battle  until  we 
found  the  enemy  in  his  stronghold  on  Kenesaw  Mountain.  We 
immediately  went  to  intrenching  under  a  hot  fire  from  the 
enemy,  and  had  one  man  of  Company  E — William  A.  Lewis — 
killed  while  at  work.  The  24th,  at  three  o'clock  A.  M.,  the 
regiment  advanced  to  within  easy  musket  range,  and  went 
actively  to  work  fortifying  the  position.  All  day  we  were  busy 
strengthening  the  works,  and  skirmishing.  Most  of  the  day, 
there  was  heavy  firing  all  along  the  line.  We  lost  three  men 
Jdlled,  and  constantly  had  to  keep  down  behind  the  works  for 
protection.  We  remained  in  this  position  until  July  3d,  we 
occupying  the  crest  of  a  ridge,  while  the  rebels  in  our  front 
occupied  the  crest  of  another.  Between  the  two  lines  was  a 


In  the  War  of  the  jRebellion.  1<>7 

ravine,  or  hollow,  so  deep  that,  in  looking  across  from  one  line 
to  the  other,  you  looked  above  the  tops  of  some  pretty  good- 
sized  trees  that  stood  on  the  lowest  ground  in  the  hollow.  It 
was  about  two  hundred  yards,  down  the  hill  on  our  side,  and 
up  on  theirs.  It  was  something  like  half  the  distance  straight 
across.  If  a  man  showed  half  his  hat  above  the  works  on  either 
side  for  half  a  minute,  he  was  very  apt  to  get  a  bullet-hole 
through  it.  We  were,  virtually,  prisoners,  and  so  were  they; 
and  the  regiment  lost  several  men,  killed  and  wounded,  here. 

June  25,  1864.  This  morning,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Francis 
L.  Neff  was  killed.  He  was  sitting  under  a  chestnut-tree,  where 
he  and  the  colonel  had  slept  the  night  before,  reading  a  paper. 
The  ground  off  to  our  left  got  lower  on  our  side  of  the  hollow, 
and  the  rebels  during  the  night  had  cleared  out  some  under 
brush  that,  the  evening  before,  covered  the  position  he  was  in, 
and  which  left  it  exposed  that  morning.  His  death  cast  a  deep 
gloom  over  the  regiment.  He  was  a  most  popular  officer,  and 
had  the  good  will  and  confidence  of  all.  He  was  companionable 
in  his  intercourse,  and  generous  almost  to  a  fault.  At  the  or 
ganization  of  the  regiment,  he  was  commissioned  First  Lieu 
tenant  of  Company  D.  He  was  made  Captain  of  said  com 
pany,  July  31,  1862.  He  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  regi 
ment,  February  11,  1863,  and  was  commissioned  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  July  15,  1863.  He  was  killed  on  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
in  the  State  of  Georgia,  June  25,  1864.  He  was  about  thirty- 
four  years  of  age,  in  the  prime  of  life,  full  of  ambition  and  hope. 
Physically,  he  was  small  in  stature,  rather  below  the  medium. 
He  was  gentle  in  manner  as  a  child,  and  had  a  heart  soft  and 
tender  as  a  woman.  We  doiibt  if  he  had  a  real  enemy  in  the 
world.  He  was  modest  in  bearing  and  pure  in  life;  he  was 
an  example  of  those  virtues  that  characterize  the  true  man, 
and  crown  the  real  hero.  His  remains  were  sent  to  his  home, 
in  Sullivan,  Indiana. 

The  26th,  there  was  heavy  cannonading  and  considerable 
musket-firing  all  day.  Early  the  morning  of  the  27th,  the 
Second  Brigade  of  the  Second  Division  of  our  corps  made 
an  unsuccessful  assault  on  the  rebel  works  in  our  front.  Our 


108  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment  . 

brigade  was  under  orders  to  support  the  assaulting  column. 
This  assault  was  gallantly  made,  the  rebel  skirmishers  were 
quickly  driven  into  their  intrenchments,  and  the  assaulting  col 
umn  charged  up  within  a  few  yards  of  the  rebel  lines;  but  the 
ground  to  be  passed  over  was  so  completely  obstructed  with 
fallen  timber,  and  an  almost  impassable  abatis,  and,  being  ex 
posed  to  a  crossfire  of  artillery  and  musketry,  the  troops  fell 
back,  and  were  withdrawn.  The  Thirty-first,  being  a  part  of 
the  supporting  column,  passed  over  its  works,  and,  for  awhile, 
was  fearfully  exposed  without  being  in  position  to  punish  the 
enemy.  Wagoner's  brigade  lost  in  this  affair  four  commissioned 
officers  and  thirty-five  enlisted  men  killed,  and  eleven  commis? 
sioned  officers  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  enlisted  men 
wounded.  This  certainly  was  the  most  inexcusable  and  sense 
less  assault  we  saw  made  during  .the  war. 

The  28th,  Colonel  John  T.  Smith,  being  officer  of  the  day, 
he  and  the  rebel  officer  of  the  day  arranged  a  truce,  under 
which  it  was  agreed  that  there  should  be  no  firing  in  our  di 
vision  front  until  further  notice.  This  arrangement  was  con 
tinued  for  about  three  days,  and  was  hugely  enjoyed,  as  it  vir 
tually  released  us  from  prison.  The  same  afternoon,  the  regi 
ment  had  an  opportunity  to  exchange  its  surplus  coffee  with 
the  rebels  for  tobacco.  The  next  day,  there  were  hundreds 
of  the  troops  met  the  rebels  in  the  hollow  between  the  lines, 
and  exchanged  papers,  and  traded  coffee  for  tobacco.  The  ar 
rangement  would  doubtless  have  continued  a  day  or  two  longer, 
but  our  boys  got  to  stealing  the  Johnnies.  The  second  day  of 
the  truce,  the  men  of  the  regiment  brought  off  fifteen  rebel 
soldiers.  Their  plan  of  operation  was,  to  take  a  suit  of  our 
uniform — pants,  blouse,  and  cap — in  their  haversack,  and 
when  they  could  find  a  fellow  who  wanted  to  get  out,  a  lot  of 
them  would  get  around  him  and  have  him  put  on  these 
clothes  over  his,  after  which  he  could  walk  off  with  perfect  im 
punity.  After  getting  him  up  into  our  works,  they  would  have 
him  divest  himself  of  these  clothes,  and  return  to  repeat  the 
operation.  The  terms  of  the  truce  at  first  provided  that  there 
should  be  no  work  done,  of.  any  kind  whatever,  on  the  fortifica- 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  109 

tions  on  either  side,  but  it  was  afterwards  agreed  that  each 
army  might  do  anything  it  desired  or  wanted  done  on  their 
works.  A  while  after  this,  the  Colonel  was  called  out  by  the 
rebel  officer  of  the  day,  and  told  that  he  must  look  out  for 
artillery;  that  the  enemy  was  putting  in  two  guns  in  our  im 
mediate  front,  and  that  he  could  not  control  them,  and  that 
they  were  liable  to  open  on  us  as  soon  as  they  got  them 
planted.  This  intelligence  was  immediately  conveyed  to  Gen 
eral  Stanley,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  and  his  chief  of  artillery 
were  at  our  front  line.  We  were  ordered  to  get  out  on  our 
front,  and  to  pile  up  an  immense  heap  of  brush  to  conceal  our 
operations.  It  did  not  require  fifteen  or  twenty  men  long  to 
pile  up  the  brush,  and  then  a  couple  of  guns  were  brought  up, 
and  a  few  men  were  sufficient  to  pull  the  brush-pile  down  the 
hill,  out  of  the  way;  and  the  two  guns  opened.  On  the  top  of 
the  rebel  works  were  some  timbers,  leaving  a  space  under  the 
timbers,  through  which  they  could  fire,  while  the  timber  pro 
tected  their  heads  while  firing.  The  top  of  the  rebel  works 
was  lined  with  men,  more  numerous  than  one  ever  saw  chickens 
on  a  fence  after  a  shower.  At  the  first  shot  from  our  guns, 
these  timbers,  and  the  men  that  were  on  them,  were  knocked 
several  feet  up  into  the  air.  After  a  few  shots  the  firing  ceased, 
and  the  guns  moved  back.  In  a  little  while  the  rebel  officer  of 
the  day  called  again  for  the  Colonel,  and  told  him  he  need  have 
no  further  fears  in  regard  to  artillery,  for  their  guns  would 
hardly  make  good  kindling-wood.  He  said  they  intended  to  play 
a  trick  on  us,  and  they  had  got  beat  at  their  own  game,  and  if 
we  had  not  got  so  many  killed  and  hurt  I  would  be  glad  of  it. 
Nearly  every  man  on  those  timbers  was  killed.  We  then  had 
peace  until  the  morning  of  the  30th.  About  one  o'clock  A.  M. 
tremendous  heavy  artillery  and  musket  firing  was  heard  on  our 
right,  which  kept  extending  down  the  line  until  it  reached  us, 
and  which  was  continued  for  some  time.  We  had  more  or  less 
cannonading  and  musketry  firing  until  the  night  of  the  2d  of 
July,  when  they  evacuated  their  position  on  Kenesaw  Mountain. 
Early  the  morning  of  the  3d  we  moved  out  to  the  right  of 
Marietta,  and  some  five  miles  south  of  it,  having  some  light 


110  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

skirmishing,  until  in  the  evening  we  again  found  the  enemy  in 
position.  We  advanced  in  line  of  battle,  having  heavy  skirmish 
ing  and  some  cannonading.  We  bivouacked  for  the  night  in  line 
of  battle.  July  4,  1864,  skirmishing  is  continued,  the  enemy  fall 
ing  back  stubbornly.  In  the  afternoon  we  found  the  skirmish 
ers  intrenched  in  rifle-pits.  As  they  seemed  disposed  to  remain 
in  their  pits,  we  charged  them,  and  captured  a  lot  of  prisoners. 
The  rebels  then  began  to  use  their  artillery  quite  freely.  In  the 
evening  we  threw  up  some  light  works,  and  occupied  them  dur 
ing  the  night.  We  had  four  men  wounded  during  the  day,  one 
of  the  men  dying  during  the  night.  This  afternoon,  after  cap 
turing  the  rebel  picket  or  skirmish  line,  a  detail  was  sent  back 
to  bring  up  our  pack  animals,  as  we  felt  by  this  time  like  it  would 
be  agreeable  to  celebrate  the  Fourth  with  some  dinner.  About 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  rear,  while  Oliver  Leonard,  of  Company 
B,  was  leading  an  old  mare  along,  loaded  with  the  household  and 
kitchen  furniture,  together  with  an  amount  of  their  provisions, 
the  old  mare  put  her  head  down  to  get  a  bite  of  grass,  when  a 
cannon-ball  took  off  her  head  and  one  of  Leonard's  legs.  The 
boys  told  it  on  him,  and  I  guess  it  is  a  fact,  that  Leonard  said, 
"Ain't  this  a  hell  of  an  out,  a  veteran  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the 
rear,  with  his  leg  shot  off?"  Leonard  is  still  living,  and  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Post,  at  Cataract,  Owen  County,  Indiana. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  we  found  that  the  enemy  had 
again  fallen  back,  and  we  moved  forward  about  six  miles  to  the 
Chattahoochee  River,  with  but  little  resistance.  We  remained 
here  near  Vining's  Station,  skirmishing  writh  the  rebels  across 
the  river,  and  cannonading  more  or  less  every  day  until  the  12th, 
when  we  crossed  the  river  and  intrenched.  We  remained  in  this 
position  until  the  18th,  when  we  advanced  about  six  miles,  skir 
mishing  most  of  the  way,  and  camped  near  Buck  Head.  The  next 
day  we  crossed  the  north  fork  of  Peach  Tree  Creek,  finding  very 
little  opposition.  The  20th,  we  marched  on  the  Decatur  road 
some  three  miles,  and  then  turned  to  the  left  and  crossed  the 
south  fork  of  Peach  Tree;  had  some  sharp  skirmishing,  and  cap 
tured  some  prisoners.  The  20th,  the  regiment  remained  in 
position  all  day,  while  considerable  skirmishing  was  being  done 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  1 1 1 

in  front.  The  21st,  we  advanced,  driving  the  enemy  into  his 
intrenchments  around  Atlanta.  The  22d,  we  pressed  up  as  near 
as  possible  to  the  rebel  works,  and  began  to  fortify,  the  rebels 
shelling  us  most  of  the  day.  General  Hood  having  been  put  in 
command  of  the  rebel  army,  he  that  afternoon  attacked  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee  heavily,  immediately  to  our  left;  but 
was  defeated  with  terrible  loss.  The  Thirty-first  Eegiment  occu 
pied  a  position  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  Fourth  Corps,  and  was 
to  connect  with  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee;  but  it  was  attacked 
before  it  got  into  position.  During  this  engagement  General 
McPherson  was  killed.  From  this  time  until  the  25th  of  August 
we  were  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  making  various  recon 
naissances,  marching  and  countermarching,  and  during  almost 
every  day  doing  more  or  less  skirmishing,  and  being  each  day 
under  the  fire  of  rebel  guns.  No  regiment  in  the  service  was 
more  fortunate  in  getting  jobs.  If  a  forage  train  was  to  be 
guarded,  if  the  wagon  train  was  to  be  put  aboard  the  cars,  if  a 
train  had  to  be  assisted  up  a  hill,  if  the  railroad  had  to  be  de 
stroyed,  or  anything  else  had  to  be  done  where  only  one  regiment 
was  employed,  the  lot  was  sure  to  fall  to  the  Thirty-first  Eegi 
ment. 

August  25,  1864,  we  quietly  withdrew  from  the  left,  and 
inarched  around  across  the  Chattanooga  Railroad,  and  bivou 
acked  in  some  old  works.  The  next  morning  the  rebels  com 
menced  skirmishing  vigorously,  and  at  first  drove  our  pickets 
back;  but  the  skirmish-line  was  re-enforced,  and  the  enemy 
driven  back.  In  the  afternoon  we  were  withdrawn,  and  marched 
about  seven  miles  to  the  Sadtowri  road,  and  camped  for  the 
night.  The  27th,  we  resume  the  march,  and  about  noon  go  into 
position  near  Mount  Gilead  Church,  and  intrench,  there  being 
considerable  skirmishing  in  front.  The  28th,  the  Fourth  Corps 
move  past  us,  the  Thirty-first  being  rear  guard  for  the  Corps, 
except  Company  F,  which  was  side  skirmisher  for  the  brigade. 
The  regiment  moving  out  about  noon,  after  marching  some  five 
miles,  we  reach  the  Montgomery  Railroad.  The  29th,  we  occu 
pied  the  same  position  as  a  brigade;  but  the  Thirty-first  were  sent 
out  to  destroy  the  railroad,  which  we  did  effectually.  We  burned 


112  The  Thirty -first  Indiana  Regiment 

the  ties  and  heated  and  twisted  the  rails  so  they  could  not  be 
again  used.  The  30th,  we  move  up  the  railroad,  and  then  leave 
it  to  our  left,  and  continued  our  march  until  dark;  the  Thirty- 
first  supporting  the  skirmish-line,  while  the  rest  of  the  brigade 
were  throwing  up  works.  The  next  morning  we  moved  about  a 
mile  and  a  half,  and  came  to  a  line  of  the  enemy's  works.  We 
throw  up  temporary  works  and  skirmish  until  .nearly  noon,  when 
we  charge  their  works,  finding  but  a  light  line  of  the  enemy 
there.  We  captured  some  prisoners,  and  move  on  to  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  Macon  Railroad.  Here  we  took  position 
and  fortified,  and  during  the  night  sent  a  detachment  to  destroy 
the  railroad. 

September  1st:  we  moved  out  this  morning,  and  strike  the 
Rough  and  Ready  Railroad  sixteen  miles  from  Atlanta,  and 
move  along  the  road  towards  Jonesborough,  tearing  up  the  road 
as  we  go,  until  we  get  near  the  town,  at  which  place  we  find  the 
enemy  strongly  posted.  We  are  formed  in  line  of  battle,  our 
brigade  being  on  the  right,  the  Thirty-first  being  on  the  right 
of  the  brigade,  our  right  being  on  the  railroad,  the  Fourteenth 
Corps  being  on  the  right  of  us,  and  having  its  left  on  the  rail 
road.  We  advance  on  the  enemy,  and  sharp  battle  ensues.  The 
enemy  is  defeated;  we  capture  nineteen  pieces  of  artillery  and 
about  twenty-five  hundred  prisoners,  when  darkness  intervenes, 
and  the  battle  closes  for  the  day.  The  regiment  lost  one  killed 
and  five  wounded.  During  the  night  the  rebel  army  falls  back, 
and  the  next  morning,  as  soon  as  three  days'  rations  can  be  issued 
to  us,  we  begin  the  pursuit.  We  soon  find  them  in  a  strong  forti 
fied  position  at  Love  joy  Station,  some  ten  miles  south  of  Jones- 
borough.  We  were  formed  in  line  of  battle,  and  pressed  the 
enemy  into  his  line  of  works,  and  were  stopped  by  reason  of  night 
coming  on.  Last  night  the  rebels  blew  up  their  arsenals,  and 
destroyed  their  ammunition  at  Atlanta,  and  evacuated  the  place, 
and  the  city  was  to-day  occupied  by  the  Twentieth  Corps.  Sep 
tember  3d,  the  day  opened  with  sharp  skirmishing,  which  was 
continued  all  day,  and  also  the  next  day  until  noon,  when  we 
were  relieved,  and  we  moved  back  in  rear  of  artillery.  On  the 
5th  we  came  back  to  Jonesborough,  and  took  position  in  rear  of 


In  iln-  !!'<//•  of  the  Rebellion.  1  K> 

our  old  works.  The  6th,  we  strengthened  the  works,  and  skir 
mished  with  some  rebel  cavalry.  On  the  Tth  we  took  up  the  line 
of  march  to  Atlanta,  arriving  there  on  the  8th,  marched  through 
the  city,  and  going  into  camp  on  the  left  near  our  old 'position. 


"  HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OK  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
"  Ix  THE  FIELD  NEAR  LOVEJOY'S,  September  3, 


'>•-;.  j 

11  SPECIAL  FIELD  ORDERS  No.  6± 

"The  General  commanding  announces  with  great  pleasure 
that  he  has  official  information  that  our  troops  under  Major-Gen- 
eral  Slocum  occupied  Atlanta  yesterday  at  eleven  A.  M.,  the  en 
emy  having  evacuated  the  night  bef  jie,  destroyed  vast  magazines 
of  stores,  and  blowing  up,  among  other  things,  eighty  car-loads  of 
ammunition,  which  accounts  for  the  sounds  heard  by  us  on  the 
night  of  the  1st  instant.  Our  present  task  is,  therefore,  well 
done,  and  all  work  of  destruction  on  the  railroads  will  cease. 

"By  order  of  Major-General  W.  T.  Sherman, 

"L.  M.  DAYTON, 

"  Aide-de-  Ca  mp." 

On  the  6th  of  September  the  following  Special  Field  Orders 
Xo.  66  was  issued: 

"The  General-in-chief  communicates  with  a  feeling  of  just 
pride  and  satisfaction  the  following  orders  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States,'  and  telegram  of  Lieutenant-Geheral  IT.  S. 
Grant,  on  hearing  of  the  capture  of  Atlanta: 

"  EXECUTIVE  MANSION,          (" 
"  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  September  3,  1864.  \ 

"The  National  thanks  are  tendered  by  the  President  to  Major- 
General  W.  T.  Sherman  and  the  gallant  officers  and  soldiers  of 
his  command  before  Atlanta,  for  the  distinguished  ability,  cour 
age,  and  perseverance  displayed  in  the  campaign  in  Georgia, 
which,  under  Divine  favor,  has  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the  city 
of  Atlanta.  The  marches,  battles,  sieges,  and  other  military 
operations  that  have  signalized  the  campaign  must  render  it 
famous  in  the  annals  of  war,  and  have  entitled  those  who  have 
participated  therein  to  the  applause  and  thanks  of  the  Nation. 
8  "ABRAHAM  LINCOLN, 

"President  of  tin'  United  St 


114  The   Thirty-first  Indiana  Regimtnt 

"  CITY  POINT,  YA.,  September  4,  1864,  •>  P.  M- 

C^M  A  JOB-GENERAL  SHERMAN, — I  have  just  received  your  dis 
patch  announcing  the  capture  of  Atlanta.  In  honor  of  your 
great  victory,  I  have  ordered  a  salute  to  be  fired  with  shotted 
guns  from  every  battery  bearing  upon  the  enemy.  The  salute 
will  be  fired  within  an  hour  amidst  great  rejoicing, 

"U.  8.  GRANT, 

"Lieutenant-General." 

All  the  corps,  regiments,  and  batteries  composing  the  army 
were  authorized,  without  further  orders,  to  inscribe  "'Atlanta" 
on  their  colors. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  during  this  Atlanta  campaign  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  days,  the  Thirty-first  Regiment 
was  engaged  in  actual  battle,  time  equal  to  ten  days;  in  sharp 
skirmishing,  equal  to  twenty-two  days;  in  building  breastworks, 
seventeen  days,  besides  the  almost  constant  inarching  across  hills 
and  over  mountains,  through  heat  and  rain,  day  and  night.  The 
regiment  lost  sixteen  men  killed  and  eighty -four  wounded;  cap 
tured  three,  and  one  died  of  disease  with  the  command. 

The  regiment  remained  in  camp  near  Atlanta,  from  Septem 
ber  8,  1864,  to  October  3d,  when  it  struck  tents,  and  started  back 
with  the  Fourth  Army  Corps  in  pursuit  of  rebel  General  Hood, 
who  had  passed  to  the  rear  of  our  army.  The  first  day's  march 
brought  us  to  the  vicinity  of  Marietta.  October  4th,  the  march 
is  continued,  passing  through  Marietta  and  following  the  road 
to  Kingston,  we  reach  Pine  Top  Mountain  on  the  evening  of  the 
5th,  where  we  go  into  camp,  and  remain  until  the  8th,  the  time 
being  occupied  in  sending  out  scouting  parties.  On  the  morning 
of  the  8th  we  move  out  some  seven  miles  on  the  Ac  worth  road. 
On  the  10th  we  pass  through  Altooiia  Gap,  and  go  into  camp 
near  Cartersville.-  The  llth,  we  march  in  the  rear  of  the  Four 
teenth  Corps,  and  hear  considerable  cannonading  in  the  direc 
tion  of  Homo.  We  went  into  camp  within  two  miles  of  King 
ston.  The  12th,  we  did  not  take  up  the  line  of  march  until  four 
P.  M.,  then  taking  the  Calhoun  road,  and  continuing  the  march 
until  twelve  at  night.  On  the  inarch  again  next  morning  at  day- 
liglit,  and  pass  through  Calhoun  and  Resaca,  and  go  into  camp 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  115 

near  the  old  Resaca  battle-field.  The  15th,  on  the  march  at 
daybreak,  crossing  a  small  mountain  into  Snake  Greek  Gap,  just 
in  the  rear  of  Hood's  army.  We  had  a  sharp  skirmish,  and  cap 
tured  some  prisoners,  and  going  into  camp  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  at  dark.  The  16th,  moved  down  the  valley  some  dis 
tance,  removing  impediments  out  of  the  -road  which  had  been 
thrown  there  by  the  rebels,  and  we  go  into  camp  in  Dry  Valley 
at  night.  On  the  17th  foraging  parties  are  sent  out,  who  return 
during  the  day  with  a  pretty  fair  supply.  On  the  morning  of  the 
18th  again  early  on  the  march,  passing  Summerville,  and  on  to 
Galesville,  Alabama,  arriving  there  about  sundown.  On  the 
20th  there  was  a  detail  of  ten  men  from  each  company,  put  under 
command  of  Quartermaster,  whose  duty  it  was  to  forage  for 
supplies.  We  remained  at  this  place  seven  days.  On  the  morn 
ing  of  the  27th  we  break  camp,  and  again  take  up  the  line  of 
march,  arriving,  late  in  the  evening  of  the  28th,  at  Lafayette, 
where  we  bivouack  for  the  night.  The  next  morning  move  out 
on  the  Chattanooga  road,  passing  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mills,  and  go 
into  camp  at  Rossville.  On  the  30th  we  pass  through  Chatta 
nooga,  and  go  into  camp  near  the  foot  of  Lookout  Mountain. 
The  next  day  our  brigade  is  detailed  to  guard  the  wagon  train; 
the  balance  of  the  corps  took  the  cars  for  Pulaski,  Tennessee. 
November  1,  1864,  we  move  out  in  charge  of  the  corps 
train,  passing  Shellmound,  Bridgeport,  Stevenson,  and  Ander 
son  and  Tantalon  Stations.  We  then  cross  the  mountain,  and 
take  the  road  to  Decherd's  Station.  We  there  leave  the  Hunts- 
ville  Railroad,  and  march,  by  the  way  of  Winchester,  Salem,  and 
Brantville,  then  to  Fayetteville  and  Pulaski,  arriving  there  on 
the  12th.  Here  we  rejoin  the  division,  and  go  into  camp.  On 
the  15th,  Colonel  J.  T.  Smith  reports  with  two  hundred  drafted 
men  and  substitutes,  together  with  some  additional  recruits. 
There  being  a  vacancy  in  the  position  of  Sergeant-Major,  James 
E.  Terhune,  of  Company  — ,  was  appointed  to  the  place.  We  re 
mained  at  Pulaski  until  the  23d,  when,  at  two  P.  M.,  we  take 
up  the  line  of  march,  passing  Reynolds  Station,  and  arrive  at 
Linnville  on  the  Nashville  pike  on  the  24th;  passing  on,  we  reach 
Columbia  after  dark.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  25th,  we 


116  The  T/ui'ty-jirst  Indiana  J!></ ////</// 

take  position,  and  intrench.  Between  two  and  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  the  enemy  began  to  shell  our  pickets.  The  cannon 
ading  was  continued  the  remainder  of  the  day.  At  eight  P.  M. 
we  were  relieved.  We  then  moved  to  the  right,  and  worked  on 
fortifications  all  night.  The  26th,  the  enemy  drive  in  our  pick 
ets  at  daylight,  and  there  was  heavy  skirmishing,  fighting,  and 
cannonading  all  day.  The  skirmishing  and  cannonading  were 
continued  all  the  next  day,  and  at  eight  P.  M.  we  moved  some 
two  miles  back  to  Duck  River,  which  we  crossed,  and  went  into 
camp  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  river.  The  28th,  we  move 
back,  passing  through  Columbia,  the  rebel  skirmishers  coming 
into  town  as  we  pass  out.  We  cross  the  river  and  take  position; 
in  the  meantime  Hoodrs  army  is  crossing  the  river  some  distance 
above,  and  passing  to  our  rear,  the  skirmishing  being  vigorously 
kept  up  in  our  front.  The  Second  Division  had  gone  to  Spring 
Hill,  where  they  were  attacked,  and  a  heavy  fight  ensues.  At 
nine  o'clock  at  night  we  move  out,  and  take  the  pike  towards 
Spring  Hill,  arriving  there  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Just  before  we  get  into  Spring  Hill,  however,  we  encounter  about 
thirty  men  on  picket  standing  on  the  pike.  One  of  them  fires 
at  us;  but  he  shoots  too  high,  and  the  ball  passes  over  our  heads. 
General  Kimball  and  his  staff  were  in  front,  being  closely  fol 
lowed,  by  the  Thirty-first  Regiment.  The  General  and  staff 
dismounted,  and  not  knowing  whether  these  pickets  were  friends 
or  enemies,  the  General  gave  orders  not  to  fire  without  orders, 
and  at  the  word  to  run  on  to  the  pickets.  At  the  given  signal  we 
made  a  dash  for  the  pickets,  who  fired  a  volley  and  fled.  They 
missed  everything,  firing  too  high.  The  camp-fires  of  the  enemy 
were  brightly  burning  not  a  third  of  a  mile  away,  and  we  could 
distinctly  hear  the  commands  as  they  rapidly  fell  into  line.  On 
our  arrival  at  Spring  Hill,  we  found  the  road  and  streets  com 
pletely  jammed  and  packed  with  wagons,  ambulances,  and  artil 
lery.  General  Stanley  was  heard  to  say  that  we  were  surrounded, 
and  unable  to  get  out.  General  Kimball  replied  that  he  was 
going  out,  and  Stanley  told  him  to  proceed.  Colonel  Smith  was 
directed  to  work  his  way  through  the  jam  with  the  regiment, 
and  as  soon  as  he  could  get  out  to  divide  the  regiment,  putting 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  117 

one-half  on  each  side  of  the  pike,  and  when  he  came  to  the  head 
of  the  train  to  move  it  up,  and  fight  his  way  through  and  go  out, 
taking  the  train  with  him.  The  Colonel  said  he  approved  the 
order;  but  suggested  keeping  the  regiment  all  together,  and  hav 
ing  the  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio,  following  us,  to  move  up 
abreast,  and  take  one  side  of  the  road.  The  suggestion  was  ap 
proved,  and  the  movement  was  begun.  After  getting  out  a  short 
distance  we  were  halted  a  moment  for  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bedan 
B.  McDonald  to  report  with  his  regiment.  We  had  not  pro 
ceeded  more  than  one-third  of  a  mile  until  we  found  the  teams 
were  abandoned  by  the  drivers,  and  a  little  further  on  wagons 
were  afire  and  burning,  with  the  teams  wandering  about  without 
drivers.  A  Lieutenant  was  detailed  to  take  charge  of  the  train, 
and  men  were  detailed  for  drivers,  and  soon  the  train  was  moving 
along  all  right.  We  had  not  gone  much  further  until  a  volley 
was  fired  into  us  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  pike.  Colonel 
Smith  ordered  the  One  Hundred  and  First  to  be  right-faced, 
and  reply  to  the  volley. 

In  their  immediate  front  was  a  cornfield,  and  the  regiment 
firing  into  a  field  of  dry  cornstalks  made  a  racket  very  much  like 
that  of  a  small  cyclone.  And  the  rebel  cavalry  fairly  hustled  to 
get  out  of  the  way.  We  had  no  further  trouble  until  after  day 
light,  except  to  keep  awake.  Men  would  go  to  sleep  walking 
along,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  James  R.  Hallowell  went  to  sleep 
on  his  horse  and  lost  his  hat. 

Soon  after  daylight,  General  Kimball  came  up,  and  had  the 
Thirty-first  Regiment  to  halt  to  get  some  breakfast  as  quickly  as 
possible,  and  form  the  rear  guard  for  the  Corps;  and,  in  order 
to  prevent  the  rebel  cavalry  from  gobbling  us  up,  we  must  keep 
well  up  with  the  column.  Three  companies,  however,  and  the 
Colonel,  were  to  keep  three  hundred  yards  in  the  rear.  The 
rebels  were  impudent,  and  kept  close  and  to  press,  when  the 
Colonel  sent  the  Adjutant  forward  to  request  General  Kimball 
to  stop  a  couple  pieces  of  artillery  on  a  hill  a  couple  of  miles  in 
our  front.  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  hill,  we  double- 
quicked  to  the  top.  The  pike,  then,  for  half  a  mile  was  crowded 
with  rebel  cavalry.  They  were  allowed  to  approach  within  a 


118  The  Thi  ii  y-ji  M  Indnitui   l!<-<jt  n«nt 

hundred  yards,  when  the  guns  were  run  up,  and  fired.  It  looked 
like  a  third  of  the  men  were  unhorsed  the  first  fire,  and  a  few 
more  shots  were  sufficient  to  give  them  to  understand  that  they 
were  not  wanted,  and  they  gave  us  no  further  trouble.  We 
reached  Franklin  about"  eleven  A.  M.,  having  marched  all  night, 
the  night  before,  and  not  having  much  sleep  or  rest  for  several 
days.  From  and  including  the  25th,  we  had  scarcely  had  an 
hour's  rest.  We  were  marching,  skirmishing,  or  building  breast 
works  almost  constantly.  We  found  the  troops  at  Franklin 
pretty  well  intrenched.  We  passed  through  the  works  and 
around  to  the  extreme  right  of  our  lines.  The  right  of  our  bri 
gade  rested  on  the  river  below  the  town.  About  two  P.  M.,  the 
fight  opened,  and  from  that  until  night  it  raged  with  tremendous 
fury.  The  rebels  made  charge  after  charge,  and  each  time 
they  were  repulsed  with  terrific  slaughter.  There  was  no  attack 
made  in  our  front  until  about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Their 
advance  on  us  was  made  in  two  lines.  We  allowed  them  to  come 
within  a  hundred  yards,  when  we  gave  them  our  first  volley, 
which  took  about  as  much  effect  on  their  second  line  as  it  did 
on  the  first  one.  The  attempt  was  repeated  several  times,  and 
was  repulsed  each  time  with  severe  loss.  About  two  hundred 
yards  in  our  front  stood  a  house — a  double  log-cabin — in  which 
the  rebels  took  shelter.  Men  were  called  for  to  volunteer  to 
go  and  burn  the  house,  and  quite  a  number  responded ;  but  only 
two  were  sent.  The  end  of  the  house  being  towards  us,  and 
no  window  in  the  end,  we  thought  these  men  would  be  safe, 
provided,  the  regiment  could  force  the  men  in  the  house  to 
stay  there.  The  men  provided  kindling  stuff  and  matches,  and 
faithfully  performed  their  work,  and  returned  safely. 

We  had  one  drafted  man  who  said  he  intended  to  stay  with 
us  and  faithfully  do  all  the  duties  of  a  soldier,  except  to  shoot — 
that  he  would  not  shoot,  that  he  never  intended  to  fire  a  gun. 
He  was  told  that  he  would  get  along  all  right  then,  for  no  one 
would  ever  tell  him  to  shoot.  About  the  time  that  it  was  seen 
that  the  rebels  intended  charging  us,  the  Colonel  went  to  where 
this  man  lay  behind  temporary  works,  and  found  that  his  gun 
was  empty — neither  loaded  or  capped.  He  called  to  the  Ser- 


RICHARD  HARDIN. 
COMPANY  F. 


MAJOR  SILAS  GR I  M  ES. 


JOHN  AV.  McBRIDE. 
COMPANY  F. 


LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  JAMES 
R.  HOLLO  WELL. 


In   the  \Yar  of  the   I!,-l.,li;<m.  \'2\ 

geant-Major  to  make  a  detail  of  a  Corporal  and  two  men,  who 
would  rather  shoot  a  man  than  not.  The  Sergeant-Major  soon 
reported  with  the  detail,  and  said,  "If  such  men  as  you  want 
are  in  the  regiment,  I  believe  I  have  got  them."  The  Colonel 
said  he  believed  so,  too.  The  Colonel  then  directed  the  Corporal 
to  lay  down  there  near  that  man,  and  not  tell  him  to  shoot,  nor 
allow  any  one  else  to  tell  him  to;  but,  when  the  regiment  fired, 
if  his  gun  did  not  go  off,  to  put  three  bullet-holes  through  him. 
The  Colonel  walked  away,  and  the  drafted  man  said  to  a  com 
rade  at  his  elbow,  "I  believe  they  will  do  it."  "Of  course,  they 
will,"  was  the  reply.  The  drafted  man  then  got  up  and  care 
fully  loaded  his  gun,  and,  capping  it,  again  lay  down,  and,  turn 
ing  to  the  Corporal,  said,  "Now,  if  this  darned  thing  explodes, 
and  the  gun  doVt  go  off,  you  must  give  a  fellow  a  little 
chance."  But  his  gun  went  off,  and  it  was  thought  that  he  was 
the  first  man  in  the  regiment  to  fire,  and  he  kept  it  up  manfully ; 
and  after  the  engagement  was  over,  he  seemed  to  be  the  proudest 
man  in  the  command,  and  apparently  seemed  to  think  he  had 
done  it  about  all. 

About  midnight  the  night  of  the  30th,  the  army  very  quietly 
withdraws  from  Franklin,  taking  artillery,  wagon-train,  all 
safely  off  the  battle-field,  and  reach  Nashville  about  eleven 
A.  M.,  and  go  into  camp  about  two  miles  from  the  city.  It  is 
remarkable  that  the  regiment  should  pass  through  such  a  series 
of  skirmishing,  endure  such  cannonading,  go  through  the  battle 
at  Franklin, — all  without  any  casualty  of  any  kind  whatever. 

December  2d,  about  two  P.  M.,  the  enemy  makes  a  demon 
stration,  and  we  move  into  position,  send  out  skirmishers,  and 
fortify.  The  next  day,  the  enemy  makes  an  advance,  and  drives 
back  our  pickets.  The  4th,  we  move  to  the  right  a  short  dis 
tance,  and  take  position  in  the  front  line,  and  the  next  day  we 
lay  off  regular  camp.  There  being  considerable  skirmishing  and 
cannonading  along  the  lines,  the  enemy  throwing  up  fortifications 
in  our  front.  The  6th,  there  is  heavy  cannonading  to  our  right. 
AVe  continue  to  shell  the  enemy  in  our  front,  but  get  no  response. 
The  7th,  the  skirmishing  and  cannonading  is  continued.  The 
8th,  the  enemy  advances,  driving  in  our  skirmishers.  AVe  charge 


\'2'2  The  Thirty-first  Indiana 

them,  and  they  are  driven  back  to  their  old  position.  We  cap 
ture  a  few  prisoners.  The  9th,  10th,  and  llth,  the  weather  is 
cold  and  disagreeable.  The  12th,  we  receive  orders  to  send 
all  who  are  unable  to  march  to  hospital.  The  13th,  the  day 
more  pleasant;  thawed  considerable  in  the  afternoon.  The  14th, 
we  were  ordered  to  have  all  extra  baggage  sent  to  brigade  head 
quarters,  and  to  be  ready  to  move  at  six  o'clock  the  next  morning. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  NASHVILLE. 

December  15,  1864. — We  move  out  at  daylight  from  the  left 
of  the  Ilillsborough  pike.  The  battle  opens  with  considerable 
fury  on  our  extreme  right,  and  for  about  two  hours  the  enemy 
is  pressed  and  pushed  and  driven,  and  after  it  was  thought  that 
he  had.  removed  all  his  reserves  from  our  left,  the  fight  is  opened 
there,  and  his  right  turned.  He  is  then  pressed  along  the  whole 
line.  The  skirmish-line  of  our  brigade  is  in  command  of  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  James  R.  Hollowell,  of  the  Thirty-first,  and  no 
skirmish-line  was  ever  handled  with  more  consummate  skill. 
The  Colonel  knew  his  men,  and  they  knew  him,  and  there  was 
no  mistake  made  by  either  during  the  day.  During  the  day  the 
regimental  commander  concluded  that  the  Colonel  would  surely 
get  shot,  as  his  duty  required  him  to  pass  so  frequently  imme 
diately  under  the  guns  of  a  fort,  and  so  he  sent  back  to  get 
a  large  flag  in  which  to  wrap  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  after  he 
had  fallen.  But,  then,  he  never  fell,  and  the  Colonel  had  to 
carry  the  flag  through  the  engagement.  Tn  the  afternoon,  we 
charged  the  rebel  works.  The  rebel  fort  was  in  the  immediate 
front  of  the  Thirty-first  Regiment.  'We  had  to  climb  a  con 
siderable  hill  to  reach  the  works,  and  then  had  to  jump  quite  a 
large  ditch.  Some  of  the  boys  could  scarcely  make  it,  and  had 
to  have  help  to  get  out  when  they  fell  into  the  ditch.  The 
Chaplain,  Rev.  James  B.  Hamilton,  was  among  the  first  to  scale 
the  rebel  works.  When  Robert  Crocket,  of  Company  K,  was 
pulled  out  of  the  ditch  and  got  on  top  the  rebel  works,  and  saw 
the  Chaplain  over  among  the  rebels,  making  them  lay  down 
their  arms,  he  exclaimed,  "Hell,  a  chaplain  in  a  charge!"  We 
captured  the  artillery  and  a  lot  of  prisoners,  and  securely  held 


In  thf  War  of  the  Iteldlion.  .       128 

their  front  line  of  works.  Night  coining  on,  we  moved  to  the 
left,  and  bivouacked  on  the  Granville  pike.  The  morning  of  the 
16th,  we  advanced  at  daylight  and  promptly  began  to  skirmish 
with  the  enemy,  and  charged  and  took  some  works  and  prisoners. 
In  the  afternoon  we  saw  the  colored  troops  make  a  couple  of 
charges,  which  were  done  with  great  gallantry.  About  three 
P.  M.,  a  general  charge  was  made  along  the  entire  line,  with 
complete  success,  capturing  the  entire  rebel  line  and  a  number 
of  prisoners  and  guns.  The  enemy  was  followed  up,  and  skir 
mishing  was  kept  up  until  night,  when  we  bivouacked  about 
six  miles  from  Nashville.  The  loss  of  the  regiment  was  eleven 
men  killed  and  twenty-seven  wounded.  We  advanced,  on  the 
morning  of  the  17th,  the  cavalry  in  front.  We  met,  in  the  fore 
noon,  a  detachment  taking  back  two  rebel  flags  and  a  lot  of 
prisoners.  We  go  into  camp  011  llarpeth  Iliver,  near  Frank 
lin,  the  day  having  been  rainy  and  somewhat  disagreeable.  The 
18th,  we  follow  the  Columbia  pike, .  arriving  at  Spring  Hill  at 
three  P.  M.,  and  pass  on  a  mile  and  a  half,  when  we  move  in 
front  of  the  cavalry,  and  take  position  in  line  of  battle,  with  a 
strong  skirmish  line  well  to  the  front.  The  next  day,  we  only 
advance  two  miles,  and  bivouacked  on  Rutherford  Creek.  De 
cember  20th,  about  noon,  we  cross  the  creek,  and  pass  on  across 
Duck  Eiver  and  through  Columbia.  Hear  sharp  cannonading 
beyond  the  town,  which  resulted  in  our  cavalry  capturing  four 
pieces  of  artillery  and  five  hundred  prisoners.  The  regiment 
continued  to  advance,  following  up  the  cavalry,  which  does 
more  or  less  skirmishing  each  day  until  the  evening  of  the  28th, 
when  we  reach  Lexington,  Alabama.  The  rebel  .army  having 
crossed  the  Tennessee  River,  further  pursuit  was  abandoned. 
The  31st,  we  take  up  the  line  of  inarch,  and  go  into  camp  at 
dark  within  two  miles  of  Elk  River,  having  marched  eighteen 
miles  during  the  day.  January  1  and  2,  1865,  we  put  in  build 
ing  a  bridge  across  Elk  River.  On  the  3d,  about  noon,  we  start 
for  Huntsville,  which  we  reach  after  a  tedious  march  over  bad, 
swampy  roads,  about  eleven  o'clock  on  the  5th,  and,  passing 
through  the  city  and  going  half  a  mile  east,  we  go  into  camp. 
The  next  dav  we  were  directed  to  prepare  winter  quarters,  and 


124  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

from  that  until  the  14th  we  were  busy  getting  our  houses  in 
order,  and  then  regular  camp  duties  were  taken  up.  The  19th, 
our  baggage,  which  we  left  at  Nashville  at  the  beginning  of  the 
campaign,  arrived.  We  remained  here  in  rather  comfortable 
quarters  until  the  thirteenth  day  of  March,  1865.  We  found 
Huntsville  to  be  a  beautiful  city,  well  supplied  with  water,  in  a 
fertile  section  of  country.  While  here,  there  was  a  Court-martial 
in  session  most  of  the  time,  of  which  the  Colonel  of  the  regi 
ment  was  a  member,  but  it  had  no  occasion  to  be  troubled  much 
with  any  member  of  the  Thirty-first. 

On  the  morning  of  March  13th,  we  struck  tents,  and  about 
noon  shipped  aboard  the  cars,  passing  through  Stevenson  and 
Bridgeport,  Alabama,  and  Chattanooga  and  Ivnoxville,  Ten 
nessee,  and  on  to  Strawberry  Plains,  arriving  there  on  the  mom- 
ing  of  the  15th,  and  go  into  camp  in  a  most  beautiful  place. 
The  troops  continue  to  arrive,  some  going  into  camp  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  and  going  on  towards  Buell  Gap. 

On  the  23d,  our  wagon-train  arrives,  and  the  next  day  we 
break  camp,  and  cross  the  Hoist-on  River,  and  then  on  to  New 
Market,  and  go  into  camp  on  Mossy  Creek.  On  the  25th  we 
again  resume  the  march,  passing  through  Mooresville,  and  on 
to  Eussellville,  and  bivouac ;  and  the  next  day  we  arrive  at  Buell 
Gap,  and  go  into  camp.  The  28th,  we  again  break  camp,  march 
through  the  gap  some  six  miles,  and  go  into  camp,  where  we 
remain  until  April  3,  1865,  at  which  time  we  march  with  the 
brigade,  with  three  days'  rations  in  haversacks  and  seven  days' 
rations  in  wagons,  leaving  baggage  behind.  We  take  the  North 
Carolina  road,  and  after  marching  fourteen  miles,  we  halt  for 
the  night.  The  next  morning,  we  are  on  the  march  early,  and 
cross  Chuckey  River,  and  go  through  narrow  passes  in  the  moun 
tains,  and  cross  French  Broad  River  into  North  Carolina. 
April  5,  1865,  we  are  on  the  march  early  up  the  river.  At  ten 
A.  M.,  we  halt  and  draw  rations,  and  leave  the  wagons  and  ar 
tillery  behind,  and  after  a  march  of  seventeen  miles  we  reach 
Marshall.  •  On  the  6th  we  move  on  early,  and  arrive  at  Alexan 
dria  at  ten  A.  M.,  and,  after  destroying  a  bridge,  we  move  on 
up  the  river.  We  arrive  at  Asheville  at  three  P.  M.  Here  we  find 
the  enemy.  Lines  are  immediately  formed,  and  sharp  skirmish- 


///  tlt<    \\iir  of  the  Rebellion.  !-."> 

ing  ensues,  which  continues  until  night,  the  enemy  using  a 
battery.  Just  at  dark  the  right  wing  of  the  regiment  was  placed 
on  picket,  and  it  captured  several  prisoners  and  some  horses. 
At  about  eight  o'clock  we  were  drawn  off,  and  marched  about 
ten  miles,  and  went  into  camp  for  the  remainder  of  the  night. 
On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  were  on  the  march  early,  and  after 
marching  about  nine  miles,  halted  on  Clear  Creek  for  breakfast. 
The  next  day  we  marched  fifteen  miles.  April  9th,  we  took  up 
the  march  early,  and  reached  Hot  Springs  about  ten  A.  M.,  and 
went  on  over  across  the  mountain,  a  distance  of  ten  miles.  The 
next  day,  continued  the  march,  taking  dinner  near  Chuckey 
River,  and  then  went  on  into  camp  near  Greenville.  We  con 
tinued  to  march  on  the  llth,  and  reached  our  old  camp  on  Lick 
Creek  about  two  P.  M.  April  12th  was  a  rainy,  disagreeable 
day.  The  next  day  clear  and  delightful,  and  every  one  rejoicing 
over  the  news  of  Lee's  surrender.  The  18th,  we  received  orders 
to  get  ready  to  march  at  once,  and  at  two  P.  M.  we  marched 
to  Buell's  Gap,  and  bivouacked.  The  19th,  our  division  hospital 
was  shipped  aboard  the  cars.  The  20th,  we  took  the  train,  and 
passed  through  Knoxville,  Chattanooga,  Stevenson,  to  Nashville,, 
where  we  arrived  at  eight  P.  M.,  the  22d.  We  disembarked  west 
of  town,  and  bivouacked  for  the  night.  Then  we  move  out 
six  miles,  the  23d,  west  of  the  city,  and  go  into  camp.  The  26th,. 
the  sutler  arrives  with  a  full  supply,  and  at  once  becomes  the 
center  of  attraction.  We  remain  here  in  camp  until  June  I7r 
1865,  performing  the  usual  camp  and  guard  duties.  In  the 
meantime  a  number  of  drafted  men  and  non-veteran  regiments 
were  mustered  out  of  the  service. 

June  17th,  we  break  camp,  and  take  the  cars  for  Johnson- 
ville;  and  the  next  d'ay  we  get  aboard  the  steamer  Silver  Moon, 
having  ten  days'  rations  and  the  entire  brigade  aboard.  We  ar 
rive  at  Paducah  the  19th,  and  immediately  head  down  stream. 
We  pass  Cairo,  Memphis,  Yicksburg,  Natchez,  Baton  Rouge, 
and  halt  for  a  short  time  at  New  Orleans,  and  then  run  down  a 
few  miles,  and  tie  up  for  the  night,  on  the  evening  of  June  25th. 
The  next  day  we  disembark,  and  move  out  about  two  miles,  and 
go  into  camp,  where  we  remain  and  are  kept  busy  fighting  mos 
quitoes,  sraVos,  and  crocodiles  until  July  8th,  at  which  time  we 


126  The  Thirty-first  Indiana 

march  back  to  the  boat-landing,  and  bivouac  for  the  night.  On 
the  9th,  about  noon,  we  embark  on  board  the  steamer  McClellan, 
and  run  down  the  river,  arriving  at  the  Gulf  about  dark,  and 
after  a  run  of  three  days,  without  any  special  event  of  interest, 
we  arrive  at  Tndianola,  Texas,  July  11,  1865.  We  disembark  the 
next  day,  and  march  out  about  a  mile  and  bivouac.  The  next 
day  our  baggage,  tents,  and  camp  equipage  arrive.  The  water  here 
is  brackish  and  hard  to  get.  The  16th,  we  move  at  four  P.  M., 
and  march  twenty-two  miles  through  a  barren,  sandy  desert. 
We  had  to  carry  water  with  us,  as  there  was  none  on  the  route. 
We  halt,  and  go  into  camp  on  Green  Lake,  where  we  remain 
until  the  eighth  day  of  August,  1865,  when  we  again  take  up  the 
line  of  inarch  for  twenty  miles  through  a  country  destitute  of 
shade  or  water,  and  bivouac  011  a  small  stream.  On  the  9th,  we 
are  on  the  march  at  six  A.  M.,  and  arrive  at  Victoria,  Texas, 
about  midnight,  and  bivouac  for  the  rest  of  the  night.  The  next 
morning  we  are  on  the  march  at  five  A.  M.  We  wade  the  Guada- 
lupe  River,  and  halt  for  breakfast.  We  then  march  some  live 
miles,  and  go  into  camp  on  the  river.  Here  we  remain  under  the 
most  rigid  camp-discipline  until  the  26th  of  September,  when 
we  strike  tents,  and  march  back  to  Victoria,  and  go  into  camp 
on  the  railroad,  about  a  mile  from  town.  On  the  28th,  forty 
men  were  detailed  from  the  regiment  to  work  on  the  railroad. 
October  24th,  we  have  a  storm  of  rain  and  wind,  followed  by  a 
few  days  of  cool  weather,  called  by  the  natives  a  Northerner. 
December  1,  1865,  the  muster-rolls  for  payment  and  discharge 
are  made  out  and  delivered,  and  the  details  of  the  regiment  were 
relieved  and  returned  to  the  command.  December  2d,  brigade 
headquarters  break  up,  and  the  next  day  Adjutant  John  J. 
Meacham  goes  to  Indianola  to  procure  transportation.  Decem 
ber  6th,  we  turn  over  all  our  camp  and  garrison  equipage,  and 
the  next  day  we  take  leave  of  Camp  iSTen0  and  march  to  Chalk 
Lake,  a  distance  of  twenty-six  miles.  We  have  to  remain  here, 
waiting  for  transportation  until  the  llth.  We  then  get  off  and 
arrive  at  Indianola  about  two  o'clock  P.  M.,  and  here  we  remain 
until  the  17th,  the  weather  being  cold  and  disagreeable.  De 
cember  17th,  four  companies  go  aboard  the  Tilla,  which  moves 


LIEUTENANT  J.  B.  CONNELLY. 
COMPANY  I. 


EDWARD  D.  LITSEY. 
COMPANY  I. 


THOS.  J.  RATCLIFF. 
COMPANY  I. 


MAY  ID  J.  RATCLIFF. 
COMPANY  I. 


In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  \  i>(.) 

out  to  the  bar,  and  casts  anchor.  The  18th  was  so  foggy,  she 
could  not  run.  The  other  six  companies  ship' aboard  the  Ala 
bama,  which  comes  out  to  the  bar,  and  anchors.  The  19th,  it 
is  still  foggy.  The  20th,  the  Alabama  pulls  out  and  gets  to  sea; 
and  about  four  P.  M.  the  Tilla  makes  an  effort,  but  fails,  and 
does  not  get  out  until  the  24th.  In  the  meantime,  however,  she 
goes  back  to  Indian  ola,  and  eight  days7  rations  are  drawn.  The 
Tilla  gets  to  New  Orleans  the  27th,  and  runs  up  to  Greenville, 
and  rejoins  those  who  came  on  the  Alabama.  On  the  28th  the 
regiment  ships  aboard  the  Virginia  about  midnight,  and  about 
two  o'clock  A.  M.,  the  29th,  makes  the  start  up  the  river  home 
ward.  We  reach  Cairo,  111.,  January  4,  1806*  disembark,  and 
take  the  train  for  Terre  Haute,  the  place  we  had  started  from 
more  than  four  years  ago.  "We  arrived  at  Terre  Haute  January 
6th,  at  eleven  A.  M.  We  were  met  at  the  depot  by  a  delegation 
of  returned  soldiers  and  citizens,  and  escorted  to  Bowling  Hall, 
where  we  were  served  to  a  most  sumptuous  and  bountiful  dinner, 
and  given  a  magnificent  reception  by  the  citizens  of  the  city, 
which  we  claim  as  our  military  home.  We  then  "broke  ranks" 
for  the  last  time,  and  departed  for  our  respective  homes. 

CONCLUSION. 

In  retracing  the  steps  of  the  Thirty-first  Regiment  Indiana 
Volunteers  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  after  the  lapse  of  a 
third  of  a  century,  it  is  a  matter  of  astonishment  that  so  many 
incidents  which  have  not  been  thought  of  for  years  have  come 
to  mind.  Incidents  of  individual  personal  bravery  and  daring; 
incidents  on  the  battle-field,  on  the  march,  in  camp,  and,  in  fact, 
all  along  the  line,  that  ought  to  be  mentioned  and  perpetuated. 
But  into  this  inviting  field  we  have  not  dared  to  venture — space 
would  not  allow,  and  we  would  not  be  able  to  do  equal  and  exact 
justice  to  all.  Therefore,  we  have  mainly  aimed  to  record  the 
acts  of  the  regiment,  and  suggest  that  all  items  of  this  character, 
together  with  many  things  that  have  cscaj>c<l  the  attention  of  the 
author,  and  that  should  have  appeared  in  this  book,  be  carefully 
written  out,  and  delivered  t<>  the  regimental  historian  for  any 

future  use. 
9 


ROSTER 

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APPENDIX 


Appendix.  197 


LETTEK  OF  GENERAL  LEW  WALLACE. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND, — I  have  your  letter  of  13th  January  last. 
Pardon  the  delay  in  answering  it. 

You  inform  me  you  are  writing  the  transactions  of  the 
Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment.  I  hope  you  will  keep  at  it  until 
it  is  finished.  We  can  not  have  too  many  memoirs  of  the  kind. 
I  wish  every  regiment,  brigade,  division,  and  corps  could  receive 
the  same  careful  attention.  Of  such  is  the  final  history  to  be 
made. 

The  pages  of  manuscript  you  inclosed  I  read  with  interest, 
the  more  possibly  because  of  the  fact  that  everything  pertaining 
to  that  awful  mystery  known  as  the  Battle  of  Pittsburg  Land 
ing  comes  home  more  directly  to  me  than  to  most  of  those  en 
gaged  in  it.  O,  the  lies,  the  lies,  that  wrere  told  to  make  me  the 
scapegoat  to  bear  off  the  criminal  mistakes  of  others  in  connec 
tion  with  that  awful  first  day!  It  took  General  Grant  about  a 
quarter  of  a  century  to  work  himself  up  to  an  admission  that  I 
was  blameless.  But  think,  my  brave  comrade,  think  of  what 
I  suffered  in  the  meantime!  Think,  too,  that  the  slanders  have 
gone  into  history,  and  may  never  be  corrected! 

As  to  the  first  day  on  the  field,  I  never  permit  myself  to 
speak  of  it  critically;  for  not  having  been  there  myself,  I  am 
always  afraid  of  doing  some  other  soldier  the  wrong  that  was  so 
cruelly  inflicted  on  me. 

It  was  nearly,  if  not  quite  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
General  Grant  passed  my  boat  going  from  Savannah  to  Pitts- 
burg  Landing.  To  be  safe,  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  putting 
the  time  about  8.30  A.  M. 

You  say  I  talked  with  the  General  at  Purdy,  four  miles  be 
low  Pittsburg  Landing,  etc.  That  would  be  a  mistake.  Purdy 
is  a  day's  march  away  from  the  river,  while  the  interview  of 
which  you  speak  took  place  at  Crump's  Landing,  where  my 

division  was  headquartered. 

197 


198  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

I  still  think,  if  my  march  to  the  battlefield  as  I  begun  it  had 
not  been  countermanded,  we  would  have  done  more  than  win  a 
victory  that  first  day — we  would  have  captured  a  great  part  of 
the  Confederate  Army.  The  surprise  would  have  been  to  them, 
not  our  people. 

With  ail  good  wishes,  I  am  very  truly  your  friend, 
JOHN  T.  SMITH,  ESQ.,  LEW  WALLACE. 

Bowling  Green,  Ind. 


A  SOLDIER'S  STORY. 

THE  LATE  J.  H.  BEADLE  AT  FORT  DONELSON. 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  BATTLE. — IMPRESSIONS  AND  EXPERIENCES  OF  THE 

FIRST  GREAT  UNION  VICTORY   OF  THE  WAR. — THE  JOURNEY 

TO  JOIN  GRANT'S  ARMY. — A  GHASTLY  SIGHT. 

"THREE  cheers  for  Grant  and  the  Union!" 

The  tall  sergeant  swung  his  cap,  and  the  cheers  rang  far 
over  the  Ohio  as  the  boats  shoved  back  from  the  wharf.  A 
strong  tenor  voice  in  the  Forty-fourth  Indiana  struck  up  a 
familiar  camp  song.  The  Thirty-first  at  once  caught  it,  and 
then  the  Kentuckians,  and  as  the  boats  rounded  the  bend  we 
sang  bood-bye  to  Evansville,  in  the  roaring  notes  of  "We  '11 
hang  Jeff  Davis  to  a  sour  apple-tree  as  we  go  marching  on." 

We  had  passed  a  miserable  winter  along  Green  River,  where 
six  per  cent  of  our  regiment  had  died  of  camp  fever,  and  twice 
as  many  more  were  invalided.  But  now  we  were  off  to  join 
Grant — "somewhere  in  Tennessee."  Daylight  of  February  llth 
found  us  at  Paducah,  a  queer  old  town,  overcrowded  and  liter 
ally  blue  with  soldiers.  All  day  we  ran  up  the  Tennessee  River, 
and  at  sundown  reached  Fort  Henry,  where  we  were  treated  to 
a  beautiful  illumination  of  the  fleet  and  shore.  All  the  steamers 
carried  red  and  blue  lights.  In  the  fort  and  along  the  bluff 
thousands  of  fires  were  blazing,  and  faintly  over  the  water  on 
the  evening  air  came  the  songs  of  the  exultant  soldiers,  for 


//'./•.  199 

already  the  capture  of  that  fort  had  given  rise  to  many  new 
versions  of  the  old  songs.  It  was  soon  decided  that  it  was 
cheaper  for  us  to  go  round  by  water,  and  so  morning  found  us 
again  at  Paducah,  where  we  lay  all  day.  It  was  the  way  things 
were  done  that  winter — all  movements  were  slow,  and  nothing 
was  done  till  the  fifty-ninth  minute  of  the  eleventh  hour. 

Late  at  night  we  steamed  away,  and  daylight  found  us  as 
cending  the  Cumberland.  All  day  men  and  officers  were  at  the 
height  of  mirth  and  jollity,  for  it  was  the  first  nice  traveling 
our  brigade  had  had.  The  weather  was  delightful,  and  soldiers 
soon  form  the  habit  of  enjoying  the  present  good  without  thought 
of  the  doubtful  morrow.  We  were  paraded  on  the  upper  deck, 
and  arms  and  ammunition  thoroughly  inspected.  Our  mag 
nificent  band  played  inspiring  tunes,  and  all  the  soldiers  danced 
and  sang  and  shouted  till  they  were  hoarse.  I  came  down  into 
the  cabin,  and  there  the  surgeons  had  their  instruments  laid  out 
for  inspection  on  the  long  table — knives,  saws,  tourniquets, 
everything  indicating  dreadful  work  at  hand.  A  sudden  revul 
sion  of  feeling  overcame  me.  I  turned  cold  around  the  heart 
at  thought  of  a  dreadful  wound  and  possible  amputation. 

AVith  the  night  came  an  awful  change.  In  two  hours  the 
mercury  must  have  fallen  twenty  degrees.  I  had  to  stand  guard 
on  the  lower  deck,  and  there  was  a  cold  and  driving  rain  which 
changed  to  sleet.  As  the  boat  turned  this  way  and  that  with 
the  windings  of  the  stream,  the  sleet  drove  across  the  open  space 
in  almost  horizontal  lines,  and  soon  my  overcoat  was  solid  with 
ice.  Daylight  showed  three  or  four  inches  of  snow.  All  fore 
noon  we  toiled  getting  the  material  off  the  boats,  and  at  noon 
entered  on  the  march,  with  the  officers  exhorting  us  to  speed,  for 
the  sound  of  cannonading  at  Donelson  showed  but  too  clearly 
that  actual  business  had  begun.  Over  abrupt  hills  and  through 
heavily-timbered  hollows,  nearly  bootleg  deep  in  places  with 
mud  and  water,  we  toiled  on  till,  reaching  a  hollow  which  led 
directly  to  the  fort,  we  heard  the  cannonading  as  loud  and  clear 
as  if  it  were  but  a  mile  away. 

Turning  to  the  right,  we  rose  to  a  narrow  level,  and  a  mile  or 
so  farther  began  to  pass  behind  our  first  line  of  battle.  Across 


The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

the  hollow  to  our  left  solid  shot  from  rebel  batteries  were  strik 
ing  high  in  the  trees,  making  a  great  crashing  among  the  limbs, 
but  hurting  nobody,  for  there  was  nobody  there  to  hurt.  A 
few  forced  a  laugh  at  the  sound  of  the  cannon,  and  said  it  was 
music;  but  I  could  not  see  it  in  that  light.  I  have  "enjoyed"  the 
hand-organ  for  hours,  and  endured  boarding-school  "practice;" 
but  I  never  heard  music  that  felt  in  the  knees  like  that.  The 
half-  jocular  bravado  of  some  of  the  men,  to  my  mind,  showed 
fear  as  plainly  as  the  silence  of  others.  I  kept  my  feelings  to 
myself,  determined  that  no  matter  how  badly  I  got  scared  no 
body  should  know  it.  We  camped  for  the  night  in  an  old  field, 
with  orders  to  "rest  on  arms  and  in  place  without  sleeping." 

O,  the  miseries  of  that  fearful  night!  Crouched  down  in 
the  snow,  with  my  gun  between  my  knees,  within  two  hours 
every  inch  of  my  body  was  jerking  with  cold  like  the  flesh  of  a 
freshly-skinned  beef.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  felt  cold 
through  my  interior.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we 
were  permitted  to  lie  d'own,  and  did  so  by  threes — two  gum 
blankets  and  one  woolen  below  us,  two  woolens  and  one  gum 
above.  A  sleet  storm  came  on,  and  I  awoke  from  sound  sleep, 
with  my  hair  matted  in  frozen  lumps.  It  was  scarcely  light 
before  the  cannonading  was  resumed.  The  reveille  and  shouting 
of  officers  rose  from  every  camp,  and  the  smell  of  powder  came 
faintly  on  the  morning  air.  Raw  pork  and  cold  crackers  were 
soon  dispatched,  and  we  were  in  line  for  orders.  And  now  the 
woods  in  front  and1  the  road  to  our  right  were  lively  with 
mounted  orderlies,  small  detachments  of  soldiers,  and  batteries 
hurrying  to  their  places  in  the  line.  It  was  plain  that  a  general 
battle  had  begun.  Ambulances  passed  back  filled  with  wounded, 
and  now  and  then  an  artillery  horse  limped  by,  shot  in  the  hip 
or  shoulder,  but  sometimes  with  a  ghastly  seam  along  the  side. 

Then  came  the  order,  "To  the  right,  and  take  position  with 
Porter's  Battery."  We  started  on  the  run,  and  kept  it  up  for 
about  two  miles;  but,  as  General  Shackleford  afterward  told  me, 
his  guide  directed  him  too  far  to  the  left,  so  we  missed  Porter's 
Battery  entirely,  and  halted  on  a  ridge  toward  which  the  main 
force  of  the  rebels  was  advancing,  and  I  think  our  brigade  was 


Appendix.  201 

the  end  of  the  Union  line  to  the  east.  The  Seventeenth  and 
Twenty-fifth  Kentucky  moved  at  once  to  the  summit  of  the 
ridge,  and  opened  fire  vigorously,  while  our  half  of  the  brigade, 
the  Thirty-first  and  Forty-fourth  Indiana,  lay  flat  in  the  snow 
behind  them  and  a  little  down  the  slope.  We  had  passed  behind 
the  Thirty -first  Illinois,  and  I  saw  three  men  lying  right  by  our 
road — my  first  look  at  men  killed  in  battle.  They  lay  on  their 
backs,  each  with  a  bullet-hole  in  his  forehead.  I  was  struck 
with  the  singularly  peaceful  expression  on  each  face. 

Wounded  Kentuckians  soon  passed  our  line  in  considerable 
numbers,  some  not  making  a  sound,  others  groaning,,  and  one 
shrieking  dreadfully,  and  I  took  notice  that  the  one  making  the 
most  noise  was  a  mere  boy  with  a  shattered  arm.  Our  Captain 
Watterman  had  just  passed  behind  us,  saying  that  in  a  minute 
or  two  we  should  move  to  the  right  of  the  Kentuckians,  and  I 
was  still  looking  in  the  direction  pointed  by  his  sword  when 
suddenly  there  was  a  grand  crash  and  roar  through  the  deep 
woods,  as  if  heaven  and  earth  were  coming  together.  A  big 
body  of  rebels  had  come  close  into  our  right,  and  partially  in 
our  rear.  I  saw  the  Kentuckian  on  the  extreme  right  throw  his 
gun  high  in  the  air,  and  fall  back  dead.  The  next  man  gave  one 
glance,  and  turned  to  flee.  The  line  broke,  and  both  regiments 
came  rushing  back  right  over  us.  In  less  time  than  it  takes  to 
tell  it,  we  were  up  and  after  them,  all  rank  and  order  lost,  offi 
cers  and  men,  Kentuckians  and  Indianians,  all  in  a  mass,  and 
thus  we  ran  to  the  bottom  of  the  slope. 

The  line  officers  rushed  with  drawn  swords  among  the  men, 
who  soon  fell  into  ranks  from  mere  habit,  and,  with  a  sponta 
neous  feeling  of  shame,  began  to  check  their  retreat.  Colonel 
Bristow  came  down  on  us  shouting  phrases  which  he  assuredly 
never  learned  in  Sunday-school.  Aide-de-camp  Terry  galloped 
in  with  a  message  from  General  Cruft  of  the  Thirty-first,  and 
shouted:  "Come  on,  Indiana!  I  'm  only  a  boy;  but  I  '11  go  at 
the  head!"  We  raised  the  yell,  re-formed,  and  fell  back  slowly, 
and  were  soon  all  in  line  at  the  top  of  the  next  ridge.  All? 
Well,  not  quite.  Our  lieutenant-colonel  and  about  two  hundred 
others  had  turned  back  bv  the  road  we  came  in,  and  we  saw 


202  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

them  no  more  that  day,  while  about  fifty  from  various  com 
mands,  with  one  lieutenant  at  their  head,  never  stopped  till  they 
reached  the  landing  we  had  left  the  day  before.  It  was  long  told 
about  the  camp-fire  that  this  officer  found  a  boat  just  starting 
down  the  river,  got  aboard,  and  actually  reached  his  home  in 
Southern  Indiana  before  he  heard  that  Donelson  had  surren 
dered. 

We  had  got  well  in  line,  and  were  listening  to  some  rather 
emphatic  remarks  from  Colonel  Bristow  when  the  shout  was 
raised,  "Here  they  come!"  On  the  ridges  there  was  tall  timber 
without  underbrush;  but  down  the  slope  the  latter  grew  thickly, 
so  I  could  see  nothing.  A  few  scattering  shots  were  fired  as  the 
volleys  of  the  advancing  rebels  began,  to  strike  the  trees;  but 
stern  orders  were  given  to  wait  for  the  word.  It  came  soon. 
"Ready!"  I  gazed  down  into  the  thicket,  and  saw  no  man;  but 
the  bushes  moving,  and  an  occasional  puff  of  smoke.  "Aim!" 
I  drew  down  my  gun  about  where  I  thought  the  middle  of  a 
man  would  be  in  those  bushes.  "Fire!"  There  was  a  terrific 
crash  as  two  thousand  rifles  went  oft',  arid  after  it  a  wild  yell  of 
exultation  from  our  line.  Our  blood  was  up.  Shame  and  anger 
had  cast  out  fear.  For  a  minute  or  two  there  was  firing  at  will, 
and  then  our  little  battle  was  over.  The  smoke  rose  slowly,  and 
there  was  an  almost  oppressive  silence  for  a  few  minutes.  Then 
came  once  more  the  dull  rumble  of  the  cannon  at  the  fleet  and 
water  battery,  followed  by  musketry  firing  far  to  our  left.  I  then 
saw  a  few  men  lying  on  the  ground.  In  the  retreat  and  fight 
our  regiment  had  lost  twelve  killed  and  sixty  wounded. 

A  cry  was  raised,  "The  cavalry  is  coming!"  We  moved 
forward,  and  stqod  at  a  charge  bayonet  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
looking  down  an  old  road  I  saw  the  rebel  flag  for  the  first  and 
last  time.  The  next  instant  the  cavalry  was  out  of  sight,  and 
where  we  were  for  the  rest  of  that  day  I  have  never  been  able 
to  figure  out.  We  moved  this  way  and  that,  hearing  firing  to 
our  right  and  to  our  left,  and1  near  sundown  were  in  the  hollow 
nearest  to  the  rebel  intrenchments  on  the  upper  Dover  road,  and 
to  us  there  came  General  Lew  Wallace  with  the  Eighth  Missouri 
and  Eleventh  Indiana.  They  did  the  right  half  wheel  in  a 


Appendix. 

manner  which  drew  a  cheer  from  us,  and  then  charged  up  the 
hill  a  little  to  our  right.  They  fired  but  one  volley,  and  'had 
gone  far  to  the  right  by  the  time  we  reached  the  top  of  the  hill. 
We  halted.  Bang!  went  a  six-pounder,  and  "Down!"  shouted 
the  officers.  But  it  was  needless.  Every  man  was  prone  before 
the  whiz  of  the  ball  had  died  away.  I  hugged  the  ground  so 
close  that  I  almost  made  a  hole  in  it,  as  shot  and  shell  came 
alternating,  getting  lower  till  they  skimmed  the  snow.  I  lay  in 
-a  small  furrow,  and  was  looking  at  Comrade  Taylor  of  Company 
G,  about  two  rods  forward  and  to  the  left  of  me,  when  one  of 
the  last  shells  struck  him  just  as  it  exploded.  It  took  off  the  top 
of  his  head,  and  cleaned  out  the  brains  as  neatly  as  if  it  were 
done  with  a  surgeon's  knife.  Then  the  cold  sweat  came  out  on 
my  forehead,  and  for  perhaps  a  minute  I  felt  a  kind  of  agony  of 
fear.  The  next  instant  my  face  seemed  blistering,  it  was  so  hot. 
The  firing  ceased  at  dark,  and  we  moved  to  the  right  and  into  a 
hollow,  and  sat  down  disconsolately  to  another  dreary  night  and 
talk  of  a  bloody  morrow.  Great  deeds  had  been  done  seven  miles 
to  our  left,  and  the  siege  of  Donelson  was  ended;  but  we  did  not 
know  it. 

II. 

SCENES  JUST  AFTER  THE  BATTLE. — THE  FIRST  NEWS  OF  THE  VICTORY. — 

PEN-PICTURES    ALONG   THE    BRIGADE   LINE. — SUGGESTIVE   SIGHTS 

AT    THE    BREASTWORKS.  —  MEETING    WITH    A    WOUNDED 

TEXAN   BOY   SOLDIER. 

XIGHT  had  settled  down  on  the  long-extended  battle-field  of 
Fort  Donelson.  A  dreary  night  it  was.  The  snow  had  melted 
to  slush,  the  air  was  loaded  with  dampness,  and  the  darkness  was 
such  as  could  be  sliced  with  a  knife.  But  our  brigade  was  in  a 
deep  hollow,  and,  though  very  close  to  the  rebel  intrenchments, 
we  were  sheltered,  and  very  soon  cheerful  fires  were  blazing  all 
along  the  line,  ^ot  far  to  our  left  were  the  Eleventh  Indiana 
and  other  regiments  of  Lew  Wallace's  Brigade,  and  the  other 
way  were  forest  and  swamp,  for  we  were  on  the  extreme  Union 
right.  The  darkness  without  was  as  light  compared  with  that 
in  our  hearts.  We  did  not  know  that  the  brave  lowans  and 


204  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 

Illinoisans  had  captured  the  main  earthworks,  or  that  the  water 
batteries  were  silenced.  And  ignorance  was  not  bliss,  for  we 
firmly  believed  that  our  little  battle  of  that  morning  was  but  a 
prelude  to  a  bloody  morrow. 

"What  can  you  do?"  asked  a  despondent  corporal  of  Com 
pany  G.  aThey  are  intrenched  just  the  other  side  of  that  field 
up  there.  If  you  go  to  the  top  of  that  hill,  they  will  shoot  you 
down.  Across  that  level  we  can't  charge  in  less  than  ten  min 
utes  anyhow,  and  the  rebels  can  kill  ten  of  us  to  our  one  of  them 
that  way.  We  just  can't  take  it." 

"Can't  take  it?  Shut  up!  We  must  take  it.  That 's  what 
we  came  here  for.  We  've  just  got  to  take  it,  and  we  will  take 
it,"  said  his  comrade. 

"That 's  the  way  to  talk,"  said  Captain  John  T.  Smith.  "We 
came  here  to  take  it,  and  we  're  not  going  away  till  we  get  it." 

This  is  but  a  specimen  of  what  was  going  on  all  along  the 
brigade  line,  and  many  a  poor  doubting  fellow  crouched  over 
the  fire  in  gloomy  silence,  honestly  believing  that  he  would1  be 
killed  the  next  day,  and  killed  to  no  purpose.  There  wTas  much 
recrimination  as  to  the  past  day's  battle.  I  was  very  near  com 
plete  exhaustion  by  two  nights  without  sleep  and  two  days  of 
march  and  battle;  but  we  had  to  stay  up  till  midnight  anyhow, 
and  I  exhorted  earnestly,  as  much  to  keep  awake  as  to  cheer 
others.  About  midnight  we  lay  down,  and  I  scarcely  touched 
the  blanket  till  I  was  dead  asleep.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  had 
but  closed  my  eyes  when  the  covering  was  snatched  off,  and  even 
now  I  hardly  know  whether  to  laugh  or  shudder  at  the  first  words 
I  heard.  A  reckless  lieutenant  with  whom  I  had  swapped  lies 
on  guard  at  various  times  stood  over  us  and  shouted:  "Get  up, 
boys!  Get  up  and  hear  the  little  birds  sing  their  praises  to — 
D — n  your  souls,  get  up!" 

This  unique  bit  of  blasphemy  was  common  enough  in  the 
army  afterward;  but  that  was  the  first  time  I  heard  it,  and  it 
struck  me  as  a  queer  preparation  for  a  day  of  danger,  with  big 
chances  for  death.  I  sprang  up  and  promptly  fell  again.  I 
struggled  to  my  feet,  staggered  around  a  few  seconds,  and  leaned 
over  a  log  gasping  for  breath.  What  on  earth  had  hold  of  me? 


Appendix. 

An  agonizing  pain  racked  my  left  side,  shifting  slowly  to  my 
chest,  and  when  I  breathed  deeply  it  seemed  as  if  a  sharp  knife 
was  run  under  my  left  shoulder  blade.  I  thought  my  joints 
would  never  become  limber  again.  The  gum  blanket  on  which 
we  lay  had  not  prevented  the  warmth  of  our  bodies  from  melt 
ing  the  frozen  ground  below  it,  and  we  had  sunk  down  into  a 
cold  loblolly.  Our  Captain  Waterman  was  a  doctor,  and  to  my 
complaint  he  sharply  replied: '"You  're  beat  out;  that's  all.  It 
will  pass  away."  It  did  pass  away — about  six  weeks  later— 
that  is,  the  worst  of  it  did.  But  seven  and  one-half  years  passed 
away  before  I  again  drew  an  unobstructed  breath.  Yes,  it  was 
in  August,  1869,  on  the  mountains  of  Southern  Utah,  that  I 
for  the  first  time  after  Donelson  enjoyed  the  exquisite  delight 
of  breathing  to  the  very  bottom  of  my  lungs  and  bounding  over 
the  hills  without  a  pulmonary  wheeze.  Two  of  the  strongest 
men  in  our  company,  ISTeil  Duval  and  Tom  Byerly,  who  rose 
with  the  same  symptoms,  died  within  three  weeks,  and  two  others 
never  fully  recovered.  But  I  anticipate. 

Daylight  showed  that  our  camp  was  the  scene  of  a  battle  the 
day  before,  and  several  corpses  lay  about.  One,  two  rods  or  so 
from  where  I  slept,  was  frozen  solid.  The  fires  were  soon  blaz 
ing  again,  and  by  a  rare  good  fortune  Commissary  Grubbs  found 
us,  and  soon  had  several  wagons  there  with  provisions,  which 
were  laid  open  for  every  man  to  take  at  will,  as  there  was  no 
time  for  a  regular  draw.  What  a  glorious  breakfast  we  had!— 
pork  broiled  on  the  coals,  strong  tea  made  in  tincups,  fresh 
crackers,  and  all  the  sugar  we  wanted.  I  drank  three  pints  of 
tea,  and  the  pain  in  my  side  abated.  I  have  breakfasted  in  many 
elegant  places;  but  never  in  hotel  or  restaurant  did  I  enjoy  a  bill 
of  fare  so  delicious. 

But  why  this  strange  silence?  Not  a  sound  of  cannon  was 
to  be  heard,  as  yesterday  morning.  The  men  stood  in  line,  with 
gritted  teeth  and  strained  looks,  nerving  themselves  for  a  dread 
ful  day.  There  were  whispered  exchanges  of  confidence,  and 
requests  as  to  what  this  or  that  one  wanted  done  in  case  of  death. 
A  few  of  the  men  took  out  of  their  pockets  spent  and  flattened 
bullets  and  other  curiosities,  picked  up  the  day  before,  and  threw 


206  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

them  away,  as  if  to  lighten  themselves  for  a  running  charge. 
Several  officers  and  some  men  made  hurried  notes  in  their  memo 
randum-books  as  to  the  disposal  of  their  corpses  and  effects,  and 
two  or  three  of  the  minor  officers  went  behind  the  line,  tapping 
our  bayonets,  and  saying:  "These  are  the  things  we  '11  use  to-day, 
men.  Depend  on  these."  I  raised  my  eyes  and  took  a  long  look 
around,  with  a  sort  of  conviction  that  it  was  my  last  chance. 
The  cold  of  yesterday  had  abated,  the  breeze  came  softly  from 
the  south  and  stirred  the  tree-tops  with  a  beauty  of  motion  I  had 
never  before  appreciated,  while  the  clouds  broke  and  glided 
away,  with  silvery  lining,  and  the  rising  sun  shone  through  the 
rifts  in  glorious  majesty.  How  beautiful  this  earth  did  look — 
too  beautiful  to  leave! 

And  still  there  was  a  strange  silence.  Then  we  heard  cannon 
far  to  our  ]eft.  Another  and  another  followed,  apparently  in 
a  series  down  the  line  toward  us.  "She  's  begun  again,  men/7 
said  our  captain.  But  no;  there  was  silence  again.  Then  we 
heard  a  faint  cheering  far  away  to  the  left.  Nearer  and  nearer 
and  louder  it  came,  with  each  return  prolonged  till  at  last  the 
Eleventh  Indiana  and  Eighth  Missouri  took  it  up  and  made  the 
forest  ring.  The  next  minute  Lew  Wallace  came  riding  around 
the  point  of  the  hill,  and,  bearing  down  on  us,  shouted:  "Fort 
Donelson  is <  ours!  Unconditional  surrender!  Arms,  ammu 
nition,  and  fourteen  thousand  prisoners!"  Then  broke  from  all 
the  brigade  a  Union  yell  as  if  two  thousand  throats  were  one. 
Every  man  realized  on  the  instant  that  we  had  helped  wrin  the 
first  great  victory  of  the  war.  Swords  were  waved  and  blue  caps 
flew  high  in  air.  The  next  instant  guns  were  dropped,  and  the 
ranks  broke  without  orders.  All  discipline  was  ignored.  Offi 
cers  and  men  wrung  each  other's  hands,  and  even  hugged  each 
other  and  gave  way  to  demonstrations  of  joy. 

And  yet  the  shouting  was  not  so  strange  as  the  weeping.  I 
have  often  been  told  that  I  was  mistaken ;  but  I  am  positive  that 
I  saw  both  officers  and  men  shed  tears.  It  really  seemed  to  me 
that  joy  made  every  man  change  his  nature.  Our  Captain 
Waterman,  usually  a  little  grim  and  a  severe  disciplinarian, 
laughed  till  the  breath  failed  him.  There  certainly  were  tears 


Appendix.  '2  ( >  7 

in  the  eyes  of  Major  Fred  Am  and  Adjutant  Cliff  Ross.  And 
the  reckless  lieutenant  who  had  waked  me  with  a  bit  of  blas 
phemy  stood1  silent  with  folded  arms  and  a  face  like  a  statue. 
One  fact  I  have  often  laughed  over  with  the  veterans — in  ten 
minutes  nearly  all  the  men  were  talking  about  the  muster  out, 
and  giving  their  opinions  as  to  the  time.  Bets  were  even  that 
we  should  "be  at  home  by  corn-planting,"  and  two  to  one  on  the 
Fourth  of  July.  Captain  "Bull"  Smith  effusively  proposed  a 
regimental  reunion  on  that  day  and  a  grand  military  celebration 
at  Terre  Haute,  where  our  regiment  was  organized.  There  was 
much  disputing  as  to  whether  this  was  our  last  battle;  but  the 
weight  of  opinion  was  that  the  regiment  would  see  some  more 
service.  What  fools  we  were! 

The  brigade  was  re-formed,  and  we  took  the  Dover  road, 
gazing  as  we  went  with  much  curiosity  on  the  effects  of  cannon 
shots  in  the  timber.  We  crossed  the  rebel  breastworks  at  a  full 
run  to  the  inspiring  double  quick  of  our  field  bands;  but  the 
sharp  pains  in  my  lungs  came  on,  and  I  dropped  out  of  line  and 
sank  to  the  ground.  The  whole  brigade  and  then  the  division 
swept  by  me  in  magnificent  array,  and  I  soon  felt  able  to  rise 
and  look  about.  In  all  directions  were  groups  of  rebels,  some 
scowling,  more  grimly  silent  and  most  good-naturedly  drunk. 
They  had  plundered  their  commissary  as  soon  as  they  heard  of 
the  surrender,  and  every  man  had  whisky.  Along  the  breast 
works  were  many  suggestive  sights.  Open  boxes,  labeled  "Buck 
and  Ball  Cartridges/7  were  scattered  at  convenient  intervals.  I 
dissected  one,  and  found  it  made  of  three  buckshot  bound  on  the 
end  of  a  common  musketball;  hence  the  name,  and  hence,  too, 
the  peculiar  wounds  some  of  our  men  had  received  the  day 
before.  At  one  place  there  were  many  signs  that  our  shells  had 
struck  thickly.  There  were  much  blood,  and  a  dismounted  can 
non  and  some  corpses  still  waiting  the  burial  party.  Most  of  the 
faces  looked  strangely  peaceful.  I  was  particularly  struck  with 
the  appearance  of  one  Mississippian,  a  very  tall  and  handsome 
man,  lying  on  his  back  on  a  small  mound.  His  deep  blue  eyes 
were  half  open,  his  finely-cut  features  were  like  those  of  a  Greek 
statue,  and  his  magnificent  physique,  long  and  well-shaped  hands, 


208  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

and  feet  with  arched  insteps,  combined  to  prove  him  a  man  of 
good  family  and  culture.  A  few  rods  back  was  a  deep  hollow, 
in  which  the  rebels  had  taken  their  wounded  horses  to  be  killed, 
and  the  sight  of  scores  of  the  poor  creatures,  mangled  and  bloody, 
was  quite  as  depressing  as  that  of  the  dead  soldiers. 

A  boy  of  sixteen  or  eighteen  approached  and  held  out  his 
hand,  which  I  took.  Both  of  us  were  strangely  embarrassed, 
each  curious  to  hear  the  other's  views,  and  each  hesitating  to 
begin.  "Something  to  drink?"  said  he,  holding  out  his  canteen. 
"After  you,  certainly,"  said  I.  He  winked  and  smiled  as  he 
turned  up  the  canteen,  and  some  subtle  instinct  made  me  know 
his  thought.  There  had  been  much  foolish  talk  about  poison, 
and  he  had  already  heard  of  our  suspicions.  He  laughed  aloud 
as  I  turned  the  canteen  high;  but  this  changed  to  a  sort  of  ap 
prehensive  gaze  as  he  watched  the  many  swallows  homeward  fly. 

The  same  offer  was  made  by  all  we  met  as  we  walked  toward 
the  town,  and  I  drank  more  whisky  that  day  than  on  any  other 
of  my  life,  much  more  than  a  pint,  and  took  besides  some  heavy 
drinks  of  brandy  which  our  company  had  taken  from  the  plun 
dered  drugstore.  Yet  I  felt  no  sign  of  intoxication,  though  the 
pain  in  my  chest  abated.  We  went  to  headquarters  to  take  a 
glance  at  General  Buckner,  and  then  by  my  captain's  orders  I 
sought  the  nearest  rebel  hospital,  where  room  was  found  for  me 
on  the  floor  with  a  Texan  boy  whose  arm  had  been  broken  in 
our  fight  the  morning  before.  "How  do  I  know  but  yo'  air  the 
man  who  shot  me?"  he  asked,  as  we  stretched  out  for  the  night. 
"But  if  yo'  air  I  forgive  yo'.  For  all  I  can  see  one  side  's  fit 
as  brave  as  t'  other."  I  responded  as  warmly,  and  we  sank  to 
sleep  like  brothers  under  one  blanket. 

III. 

HORRORS   OF   A    FRESH    BATTLE-FIELD. — CAMPAIGN    MISERIES. — A   MORAL 

PRECEDING  THE  STORY. — THE  PILES  OF  DEAD  AND  WOUNDED. 

— A  NIGHT  OF  SUFFERING. — THE   EXPERIENCE  OF 

SEEING  MEN  SLAUGHTERED. 

THE  sufferings  of  one  man  are  of  no  consequence  to  man 
kind  in  general.  Sometimes,  however,  the  one  is  a  type  of 
millions,  and  he  is  then  justified  in  telling  his  story  to  point  a 


Appendix.  i>n(.) 

moral.  The  battle  in  which  I  bore  a  very  small  part  now  seems 
to  me  the  merest  trifle ;  but  the  misery  which  preceded  and  fol 
lowed  it  grows  greater  in  the  retrospect.  In  view  of  the  pre 
vailing  jingoism,  especially  the  feeling  toward  Great  Britain,  I 
feel  justified  in  these  details,  and  shall  invert  the  usual  order 
by  giving  the  moral  first.  It  is  this:  The  man  who  really  wants 
a  war,  be  it  with  Great  Britain,  Spain,  or  any  other  Power,  is 
at  heart  a  demon.  Smooth  and  bloodless  he  may  be,  dressed  in 
fine  cloth  and  clean  linen,  and  with  no  spiked  tail  visible;  but 
at  heart  that  man  is  a  demon. 

The  second  day  after  the  surrender  of  Fort  Donelson  I  crept 
out  of  the  temporary  hospital  in  Dover,  and,  under  the  combined 
stimulus  of  whisky  and  quinine,  started  to  find  my  regiment. 
Three  days  and  nights  of  almost  continuous  exposure  and  very 
little  sleep  had  done  their  perfect  work  on  me.  But  the  sick 
soldier,  not  too  sick  to  wralk,  pines  for  his  company  and  regiment 
as  a  sick  child  pines  for  home.  As  I  moved  slowly  up  the  hill 
the  sight  was  interesting.  Along  the  river  bank  lay  thousands 
of  captured  guns,  and  details  of  our  men  were  still  firing  them 
off  and  piling  them  into  wagons.  The  rebel  commissary  stores 
had  been  thrown  open,  and  soldiers  and  citizens  were  carrying 
off  the  provisions,  especially  sugar,  in  haversacks,  buckets,  can 
teens,  washpans,  and  even  in  caps  and  blankets.  The  rebels  were 
being  called  into  line  for  transportation,  and  their  uniform  was 
like  that  of  the  beggar's  opera.  In  place  of  the  solid  woolens 
issued  to  our  men,  they  had  for  blankets  everything  which  could 
be  pressed  into  service — bedclothes,  tablecloths,  sections  of 
woolen  carpets,  and  even  women's  dresses  and  piano-covers.  The 
result  was  a  gorgeous  parti-colored  picture,  like  those  I  have 
seen  of  a  Mexican  plaza  on  a  fete  day. 

Through  the  open  doors  of  many  houses  I  saw  the  ghastly 
array  of  wounded  men,  and  in  one  place  the  surgeons  were  still 
busy  with  knife  and  saw,  bandage  and1  tourniquet.  Out  beyond 
the  intrenchment  I  found  the  stretcher-bearers  still  bringing  in 
the  dead.  The  line  of  battle  from  first  to  last  extended  near 
eight  miles,  from  the  creek  below  to  the  swamp  above,  and  the 
hollows  interlocked  in  scores  of  places,  while  in  the  uncleared 

lowlands  the  brush  was  so  thick  that,  as  the  lines  of  battle  swiftly 
14 


210  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

changed,  men  fell  dead  and  were  overlooked.  The  hunting 
parties  were  searching  everywhere  among  the  bushes  and  logs, 
and  in  the  most  unexpected  places  came  upon  corpses  already 
horribly  swollen,  for  the  weather  had  turned  warm  as  suddenly 
as  it  turned  cold  the  first  night  of  the  siege.  I  descended  to  the 
hollow  we  had  crossed  on  the  day  of  battle.  The  log  cabin  from 
which  a  widow  and  her  children  had  fled  at  the  first  shots  had 
been  turned  into  a  field  hospital.  The  mud  around  it  was  spotted 
with  blood,  and  a  small  heap  of  dissevered  limbs  lay  awaiting 
removal,  and  already  decomposing.  I  toiled  on  to  the  camp  we 
had  occupied  the  night  before  our  battle,  and  found  there  a  few 
slightly  wounded  or  exhausted  men  of  the  First  Nebraska  Regi 
ment.  They  told  me  their  brigade  had  had  a  very  sharp  fight 
there  soon  after  we  left,  and  our  baggage  was  shot  all  to  pieces, 
and  that  Wallace's  and  Graft's  Brigade  had  gone  on  to  Fort 
Henry. 

I  found  space  in  a  wagon-load  of  sick  and  wounded,  with  a 
sister  of  charity  in  command,  and  we  moved  on.  A  light  rain 
had  begun  to  fall;  but  all  along  the  road  lay  sick  and  exhausted 
men — on  the  ground,  on  logs,  on  piles  of  rails,  or  anything  their 
comrades  could  fix  for  them  before  passing  on.  Yet  a  gum 
blanket  below  and  above  as  they  lay  by  twos  served  as  some  pro 
tection.  At  Fort  Henry  I  found  the  camps  stretching  back  two 
miles  or  more  from  the  river,  and  for  the  next  week  stretcher- 
bearers  and  ambulances  were  perpetually  going,  and  every  day 
a  large  steamer  loaded  with  the  sick  moved  down  the  Tennessee. 
It  was  common  talk  in  the  camps  that  one-third  of  Grant's  army 
had  been  invalided  by  the  Fort  Donelson  campaign,  and  one  or 
two  out  of  every  company  in  our  regiment  died.  My  own  case 
was  simple,  and  the  diagnosis  by  our  surgeon  was:  "Double 
pneumonia  threatened.  Can  avert  it  with  a  big  dose."  A  big 
dose  it  was,  of  morphine,  quinine,  and  ipecac.  For  two  nights 
and  a  day  I  slept  most  of  the  time,  and  awoke  the  second  morning 
with  something  near  akin  to  delirium  tremens.  The  next  morn 
ing  I  was  able  to  walk  to  the  hospital  boat,  and  my  active  con 
nection  with  the  Thirty-first  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteers 
ended  forever. 


Appendix.  211 

If  a  tender-hearted  man  of  to-day  could  see  the  steamer 
Ohio  No.  3  as  it  was,  even  at  the  beginning  of  that  voyage,  he 
could  not  restrain  his  tears.  What  it  was  when  the  voyage  ended 
must  be  largely  left  to  the  imagination.  It  was  literally  jammed 
with  the  sick,  and  of  all  that  number  only  thirteen  were  able  to 
move  about.  Every  stateroom  was  packed,  and  on  each  side  of 
the  cabin  lay  men  in  close  order,  their  feet  toward  the  center, 
leaving  just  room  for  one  to  pass  between,  and  not  one  able  to 
rise  or  help  himself  even  in  the  most  necessary  offices.  To  take 
care  of  this  boat-load  of  utterly  helpless  men  there  were  just  two 
able-bodied  nurses  and  one  hospital  steward.  A  sergeant  of  our 
regiment  promptly  made  out  a  list  of  the  thirteen  who  were  able 
to  move,  and  urged  or  ordered  that  they  should'  act  as  nurses. 
In  a  small  space  at  the  rear  end  of  the  cabin  a  table  was  set  for 
the  boatmen,  and  those  who  had  money  and  could  get  to  it  could 
buy  a  meal  for  fifty  cents.  I  managed  to  swallow  a  cup  of  coffee 
and  one  biscuit,  then  rushed  to  the  guard  and  contributed  my 
fifty-cent  breakfast  to  the  muddy  Tennessee — an  experience  re 
peated  more  than  once  on  the  trip. 

The  whole  voyage  remains  in  my  mind;  as  a  horrid  night 
mare.  In  that  solemn  hour  between  waking  and  sleeping,  when 
the  mind  seems  to  gain  fresh  retrospective  power  while  the  body 
sinks  to  rest,  the  whole  scene  rises  before  me.  I  see  especially 
that  poor  ISfebraska  boy  who  lay  on  his  back  in  the  corner  near 
the  door,  insensible,  his  eyes  rolling  and  his  hands  perpetually 
moving  as  if  he  were  trying  to  fend  off  something  from  his  face. 
For  thirty  hours  he  never  once  ceased  this  motion,  then  gasped 
twice,  and  was  dead.  Another  dying  man  kept  up  a  continuous 
automatic  moaning,  which  seemed  to  rise  and  sink  like  the  sigh 
ing  of  a  wind  in  the  forest.  By  next  morning  the  cabin  was  so 
noisome  that  one  could  scarcely  abide  in  it,  and  yet  there  had 
been  no  deaths,  though  at  least  a  dozen  were  evidently  dying. 
Most  of  the  sick  were  coughing  and  expectorating  dreadfully; 
but  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  take  the  usual  precautions,  and 
the  whole  floor  was  a  sight  to  have  made  the  strongest  man  sick. 
We  lay  at  Paducah  all  day,  while  the  surgeon  vainly  sought  for 
a  vacant  house.  But  the  report  came  that  the  place  was  already 


212  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

quite  overcrowded  with  sick,  and  at  night  we  were  ordered  to 
move  on  to  Evansville. 

It  was  a  night  of  horror.  The  worst  cases  commenced  dying 
as  we  shoved  off,  and  as  fast  as  they  died  they  were  carried  out 
and  laid  on  the  open  deck  forward,  wrapped  in  their  blankets, 
A  fearful  storm  came  on,  and  in  two  hours  there  was  a  heavy, 
driving  snow,  which  covered  the  corpses  as  we  laid  them  out. 
It  was  soon  discovered,  also,  that  there  were  five  bad  cases  of 
smallpox  on  the  boat,  and  a  general  panic  was  added  to  our  other 
miseries.  Yet  I  was  compelled  to  eat  and  compelled  to  sleep,  or 
die.  I  bought  a  plateful  of  provisions  and  a  tincup  of  coffee,, 
and  this  time  took  the  precaution  to  stand  out  on  the  guards  in 
the  cold  wind  to  eat,  and  it  staid  with  me.  Crouching  down  in 
the  corner  of  the  cabin — they  had  moved  the  sickest  men  to  the 
front,  and  the  rear  space  was  almost  tolerable — with  my  back 
against  the  wall,  I  managed  to  get  some  hours  of  troubled  sleep. 
The  morning  was  intensely  cold;  but  we  had  reached  the  wel 
come  shore  of  Indiana  at  last,  and  pitying  friends  came  to  carry 
our  helpless  men  to  the  Evansville  hospitals.  They  have  since 
told  me  that  when  they  entered  that  cabin  they  could  hardly 
believe  that  healthy  men  could  have  lived  in  it  one  night.  Es 
pecially  pitiable  was  the  sight  of  a  pile  of  corpses  on  the  front 
deck,  apparently  of  no  more  consequence  than  so  much  cord- 
wood  stacked  there,  covered  with  snow  and  seeming  to  be  partly 
frozen. 

I  need  not  repeat  the  oft-detailed  story  of  the  hospitals — the 
long  wards  filled  with  wounded  and  sick,  the  dreadful  operating- 
table,  the  cries  and  shrieks  of  some  and  the  groans  of  many,  the 
wearisome  days  in  the  lonely  wards,  and  the  nights  of  feverish 
sleep  haunted  by  dreams  of  the  dead.  Yet,  when  the  worst  was 
passed,  convalescence  was  delightful,  and  the  natural  gayety  of 
young  men  reasserted  itself.  When  the  wounded  arrived  from 
the  battle-field  of  Shiloh,  convalescents  and  all  had  wearing  work 
foY  a  while.  But  we  were  in  a  well-appointed  hospital  and  a 
Christian  country,  where  all  the  people  stood  ready  to  supply 
what  the  medical  storas  lacked,  and,  save  the  dreadful  amputa 
tions,  the  horror  of  which  can  not  be  mitigated.  Life  was  not 


Appendix.  -j  1  :\ 

altogether  miserable.  I  formed  many  pleasant  acquaintances, 
some  among  the  wounded  rebels  captured  at  Shiloh.  The  de 
lusion  of  the  days  just  after  Fort  Donelson  was  all  dissipated 
now,  and  the  men  of  both  armies  settled  d'own  doggedly  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  was  to  be  a  long  war,  and  a  fight  to  the  finish. 
In  our  discussions  in  the  days  of  convalescence  each  side  held  its 
own  tenaciously,  but  good-humoredly.  "You  can  not  conquer 
the  South;  no,  sir,  never!"  was  the  continuous  refrain  of  the 
Johnnies,  as  about  that  time  we  began  to  call  them.  And  "This 
rebellion  mus't  and  shall  be  put  down,  and  the  Union  restored," 
was  the  conclusion  of  every  argument  on  the  part  of  the  Blue. 

I  may,  in  conclusion,  give  one  experience  which  may  seem 
trivial;  but  as  it  was  a  matter  I  was  very  curious  about  before 
the  war,  others  may  be  curious  about  it  now.  When  I  enlisted 
I  had  seen  but  one  person  die,  and  had  never  once  looked  on 
a  really  ghastly  wound.  During  the  battle  I  only  saw  two  men 
killed.  One  of  these  was  apparently  shot  through  the  heart,  and 
the  other  was  struck  in  the  head  by  a  shell  which  exploded  just 
as  it  struck  him. 

When  the  firing  ceased,  I  saw  men  on  the  ground,  and  just 
in  front  of  me  was  a  very  large  man  who,  I  thought,  was  shot 
exactly  through  the  center  of  the  head,  as  I  saw  the  bullet-hole 
in  his  forehead.  But  as  I  looked  he  rose  to  a  sitting  posture, 
and  grasping  both  hands  full  of  snow  pressed  it  on  the  wound1. 
In  a  month  he  was  well,  for  the  bullet  had  merely  glanced  over 
the  skull.  In  the  next  two  months  I  saw  many,  very  many, 
deaths.  Most  died  as  gently  as  a  lamp  goes  out  when  the  oil 
is  exhausted.  A  few  babbled  incessantly  to  the  last  minute,  and 
three  sang  and  shouted  in  a  kind  of  religious  exultation  till  in 
the  very  article  of  death.  My  general  conclusion  from  that  and 
much  subsequent  experience  is  that  all  men,  soldiers  and  others, 
alike  who  die  of  disease  go  in  about  the  same  way,  without  resist 
ing  death  or  caring  much  about  it.  It  is  the  indescribable  misery 
which  precedes  death,  and  the  almost  infinite  misery  inflicted 
upon  the  innocent,  which  make  me  say  that  the  man  who  really 
wants  another  war  is  at  heart  a  demon.  J.  H.  BEADLE. 


214  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

t 

A  TRIBUTE  TO  THE  MEMORY  OE  LIEUTENANT- 
COLONEL  FRANK  L.  NEEF. 

FRANCIS  LEWIS  NEFF  was  born  in  the  year  1830,  in  Mercer 
County  (now  Boyle),  in  the  State  of  Kentucky.  When  he  was 
but  three  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  from  Kentucky,  and 
located  in  Hendricks  County,  State  of  Indiana,  near  the  village 
of  North  Salem.  His  parents  were  highly  respected,  and  be 
longed  to  that  large  class  known  as  the  common  people,  and  were 
in  moderate  financial  circumstances.  His  father  was  a  farmer, 
and  only  able  to  purchase  a  small  tract  of  land  on  his  arrival  in 
Indiana,  and  that  in  the  woods.  Here  with  all  the  inconven 
iences  and  privations  incident  to  the  pioneer  he  began  his  life- 
work — to  make  a  farm,  provide  for  and  educate  his  children. 
Frank's  educational  advantages  were  poor.  There  were  no  free 
schools;  scarcely  any  of  any  kind.  For  several  years  after  this 
schools  were  not  taught  according  to  law,  but  according  to  the 
article.  The  article  generally  specified  that  instruction  would 
be  given  in  spelling,  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic  to  the 
Rule  of  Three.  It  is  said  that  from  the  time  Frank  was  eight 
years  old  he  worked  almost  constantly  on  their  little  farm,  cul 
tivating  the  crop  during  spring  and  summer,  and  clearing  more 
ground  during  fall  and  winter.  During  his  minority  he  worked 
eleven  summers  in  a  brickyard,  and  the  summer  before  he  grad 
uated  in  law  school  he  molded  and  set  in  kiln  each  working  day, 
for  a  day's  work,  five  thousand  brick.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
years  his  father  procured  from  the  County  Commissioners  of 
Hendricks  County  a  certificate  of  admission  to  the  State  Uni 
versity  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  the  law  at  that  time  being  that 
two  students  from  each  county  were  entitled  to  admission,  tuition 
free,  if  properly  certified  by  the  County  Board.  He  remained 
in  the  Literary  Department  about  one  year,  when  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  the  late  David  McDonald,  who  was  professor 
of  the  Law  School.  The  professor  told  Frank  that  he  had  never 
attended  school  but  thirteen  weeks;  and  Frank  was  prevailed 
on  to  enter  the  Law  School,  and,  taking  the  required  two  regular 


Appendix.  215 

terms,  he  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1853,  and  immediately  be 
gan  the  practice  of  law  in  Danville,  in  the  county  where  he  had 
grown  up  to  manhood,  and  the  county  that  had  sent  him  to  col 
lege.  In  the  spring  of  1854  he  located  in  the  town  of  Sullivan, 
and  continued  in  the  practice  of  law,  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  Willis  G.  Neff.  Soon  after  he  was  appointed  by  Gov 
ernor  Joseph  A.  Wright,  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  the  district 
in  which  he  resided.  At  the  expiration  of  his  appointment,  he 
was  elected  to  the  same  position.  He  was  an  earnest,  conscien 
tious,  ardent  advocate,  and  was  recognized  by  the  legal  profession 
generally  as  being  rather  a  clear-headed  lawyer.  It  was  during 
his  official  term  that  the  writer  first  made  his  acquaintance;  but 
which  did  not  become  intimate  or  familiar  until  after  we  had 
gone  into  the  service. 

About  the  last  of  August,  1861,  he  came  into  Camp  Yigo 
as  First  Lieutenant  of  a  company  that  was  afterward  designated 
as  Company  D,  Thirty-first  Eegiment  Indiana  Volunteers.  He 
was  mustered  into  the  service  as  First  Lieutenant,  to  date  from 
September  5,  1861.  He  was  commissioned  Captain,  July  31, 
1862,  and  was  commissioned  Major,  February  11,  1863,  and 
was  mad'e  Lieutenant-Colonel,  July  15,  1863.  He  was  killed  on 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  in  the 'State  of  Georgia,  on  the  morning  of 
June  25,  1864.  About  thirty-four  years  of  age,  in  the  prime  of 
life,  full  of  ambition  and  'hope,  Frank  L.  Neff,  a  patriot,  was 
shot  to  death,,  a  victim  of  the  most  inexcusable  and  vile  Ee- 
bellion  known  in  the  annals  of  the  human  family.  Physically 
he  was  small  in  stature,  rather  below  the  medium;  but  he  had 
the  strength  and  courage  of  his  convictions,  and  was  not  the  man 
to  be  quiet  when  wrong  was  being  perpetrate^.  He  was  gentle 
in  manner  as  a  child,  and  had  a  heart  soft  and  tender  as  that  of 
a  woman.  We  doubt  if  he  had  a  real  enemy  in  the  world.  With 
neither  the  disposition  or  faculty  for  hoarding,  ever  willing  to 
divide  his  last  cent  or  last  hardtack  with  those  in  need,  it  was  a 
natural  consequence  that  he  never  accumulated  largely  of  this 
world's  goods;  but  he  was  rich  in  the  love  of  many  a  genuine 
friend.  He  may  have  had  his  weaknesses — his  faults,  if  you 
will — but  if  so,  they  were  such  as  neither  degraded  him  nor  in- 


"216  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

jured  his  friends.  He  was  modest  in  bearing,  pure  in  life,  never 
profane,  was  strictly  temperate  in  his  habits;  in  a  word,  he  was 
an  example  of  those  virtues  that  characterize  the  true  man  and 
crown  the  real  hero. 

Colonel  Neff  loved  his  family  and  his  home.  In  the  field,  in 
camp,  or  on  the  march,  it  mattered  not  where,  he  never  forgot 
Amanda  Farris  Neff  or  little  Ken  ton;  he  was  never  unfaithful 
to  his  marital  vows.  No  tale  of  questionable  romance  or  scandal 
ever  smirched  his  character.  His  native  goodness  added  to  his 
greatness.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Amanda  Farris,  of  Bloom- 
ington,  Indiana,  in  the  summer  of  1854,  who  survived  him.  It 
can  be  said,  without  fear  of  any  kind  of  successful  contradiction, 
that  the  Thirty-first  Regiment  had  a  well-established  reputation 
of  being  reliable.  It  was  seldom  sent  on  any  mission  that  it  did 
not  accomplish,  or  make  it  self-evident  that  the  work  could  not 
be  dbne.  ~Not  only  so,  but  the  work  was  done  on  time.  How 
many  failures  resulted  from  the  fact  that  some  one  was  too  slow, 
or  some  commander  was  too  fast!  It  was  not  so  with  the  Thirty- 
first,  and  the  regiment  in  this  respect  was  Colonel  NefL  A  few 
days  before  his  death,  General  Stanley  came  and  said  he  was 
ordered  to  take  a  certain  ridge  that  lay  immediately  in  our  front, 
-and  which  was  held  by  a  strong  skirmish-line  of  the  enemy,  who 
was  well  fortified  by  the  use  of  intrenchments,  or  gopher-holes. 
The  General  said  it  could  not  be  taken  without  great  loss,  and 
he  regretted  to  have  one  of  his  best  regiments  cut  up;  but  it 
being  immediately  in  our  front,  he  could  not  well  send  in  any 
other  command.  After  a  little  consultation,  the  General  was 
told  that  if  we  could  take  our  own  time  and  way  we  would  cheer 
fully  undertake  the  work.  "When  is  your  time?"  asked  the 
General,  and  we  answered,  "To-morrow  morning  at  daylight." 
"All  right,"  he  replied;  "take  it  to-morrow  morning  in  your  own 
way."  This  ridge  was  about  midway  between  the  lines  of  the 
contending  armies,  and  near  the  north  end  of  the  ridge  was  a 
sugar-loaf  hill  of  considerable  size.  After  dark  Neff  and  I  ex 
plored  this  hill,  and  while  the  Confederates  had  a  gopher  hole 
within  twenty-five  yards,  they  were  not  in  possession  of  the  hill. 
So  he  proposed  to  take  his  old  Company  D,  go  in  and  fortify 


Appendix.  217 

the  hill,  and  this  he  did.  Just  how  a  man  could  take  a  company 
and  dig  a  trench,  throw  up  an  embankment  within  twenty-five 
yards  of  twenty  or  thirty  men,  gather  dry  weeds  and  cover  the 
fresh  earth,  and  not  attract  attention,  is  a  matter  more  easily  con 
ceived  than  executed.  Just  before  daylight  the  regiment  was 
moved  out  by  platoons  within  seventy-five  yards  of  the  enemy, 
and  lay  down  in  an  open  field,  to  await  the  next  move  on  the 
checkerboard  by  Neff.  At  six  o'clock  the  bugle  in  the  rear  was 
sounded,  and  Neff  immediately  opened  fire  on  the  enemy's  line, 
who  were  wonderfully  surprised  to  find  bullets  coming  from  that 
hill,  and  after  giving  them  a  round  or  two  the  firing  ceased,  and 
within  a  minute  the  regiment  was  at  the  gopher-holes,  and  we 
captured  about  as  many  men  as  we  had  in  the  regiment,  without 
getting  a  man  hurt.  I  relate  this  incident  to  show  that  grand 
trait  in  the  character  of  Colonel  N"eff,  so  important  in  military 
life — that  of  being  always  just  on  time. 


COMMISSIONS  AND  PROMOTIONS. 

THE  Thirty-first  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteers  had,  during 
its  term  of  service,  four  Colonels,  seven  Lieutenant-Colonels, 
nine  Majors,  five  Adjutants,  three  Quartermasters,  two  Chap 
lains,  three  Surgeons,  six  Assistant  Surgeons,  forty-one  Cap 
tains,  fifty-five  First  Lieutenants,  and  fifty-five  Second  Lieuten 
ants.  There  were  thirty-nine  original  appointments,  and  there 
were  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  promotions,  making  one  hundred 
and  ninety  commissions  issued  to  various  members  of  the  regi 
ment,  being  a  larger  number  than  was  issued  to  any  other 
infantry  or  cavalry  regiment  that  went  into  the  service  from  the 
State  of  Indiana. 

The  Thirty-first  Regiment  went  into  the  service  with  forty- 
four  commissioned  officers,  andjiineteen  non-commissioned  offi 
cers  and  band.  There  were  nine  hundred  and  seventy-five  en 
listed  men,  including  sergeants,  corporals,  musicians,  and 
wagoner.  The  regiment  received  five  hundred  and  sixty-three 
recruits.  Ten  commissioned  officers  were  killed  in  action,  died 
•of  wounds  or  disease,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty-six  enlisted 


218 


The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment 


men  were  killed  or  died  while  in  the  service.  There  were  forty- 
six  men  deserted,  and  thirteen  more  were  never  accounted  for. 
Whole  number  mustered  into  the  regiment,  1,886.  The  regi 
ment  lost  more  men  killed  in  action,  or  who  died  of  wounds  or 
disease,  than  any  other  infantry  or  cavalry  regiment  that  went 
into  the  service  from  the  State  of  Indiana.  The  Thirtieth  Regi 
ment,  before  its  reorganization,  came  within  one  of  being  equal 
to  it;  but  it  reorganized  and  entered  the  service  for  another 
term,  and  from  first  to  last  had  mustered  into  it  2,211  men,  and 
including  both  organizations  it  lost  by  death  thirteen  more  men 
than  did  the  Thirty-first  Regiment,  and  in  this  respect  it  leads 
all  Indiana  infantry  and  cavalry  regiments. 


PRESENT  OR  ACCOUNTED  EOR. 

THERE  were  ninety-eight  non-commissioned  officers  and  en 
listed  men  in  each  company  at  its  original  organization.  The 
following  table,  which  is  substantially  correct,  accounts  for  each 
man  in  the  regiment: 


o 

a 

ta 

0 

umber  who  Served 
their  Three  Years, 

umber  of  Veterans 
who  were  Dis 
charged  with  Reg 
iment;  

umber  who  were 
Discharged  for 
Disability,  Disease 
and  Wounds  

umber  Killed  

umber  Died  in  the 
Service  

umber  Deserted... 

umber  Promoted.. 

[umber  Trans 
ferred  

umber  Discharged 
is  Exchanged 
Prisoners  

umber  Missing  or 
Unaccounted  for.. 

A 

15 

22 

22 

9 

18 

2 

6 

3 

2 

B 

10 

10 

39 

7 

17 

9 

5 

1 

C 

13 

27 

13 

6 

25 

2 

7 

3 

1 

D 

17 

16 

20 

6 

22 

7 

6 

3 

2 

E 

13 

15 

25 

8 

15 

14 

3 

2 

3 

F 

11 

28 

28 

3 

16 

3 

5 

3 

1 

G 

14 

22 

28 

5 

14  ' 

7 

4 

4 

H 

21 

18 

26 

24 

2  . 

3 

2 

2 

I 

17 

18 

27 

3 

15 

5 

7 

3 

1 

2 

K 

19 

16 

22 

8 

.18 

5 

7 

4 

Appendix.  219 

GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   CAMPAIGN  IN   GEORGIA. 

BY  GRANVILLE  ABBOTT,  CORPORAL,  COMPANY  I,  THIRTY-FIRST 
REGIMENT,  INDIANA  VOLUNTEERS. 

General  Sherman,  it  is  said, 

Hurra!    hurra! 
With  plans  which  he  himself  had  made, 

Hurra!    hurra! 

'Way  down  in  Georgia  made  a  raid, 
With  men  who  in  their  places  staid  ; 
We  '11  all  feel  gay, 
When  Johnny  comes  marching  home! 

Ringgold  he  left  the  fourth  of  May, 
Took  Tunnel  Hill  upon  his  way, 
And  captured  all  that  there  did  stay, 
Which  was  the  work  of  but  a  day. 

"  I  see,"  says  Sherman,  "  you 're  induced 
To  give  the  rebs  an  upper  boost ;" 
Then  we  our  batteries  unloosed, 
And  threw  up  shells  on  Buzzard  Roost. 

They  thought  up  there  they  had  a  trap 
To  catch  the  General  in  a  snap  ; 
Thinking  he  would  charge  the  gap, 
But  soon  they  found  out  their  mishap. 

For  Sherman,  as  a  soldier-boy, 
Deployed  his  army  like  a  toy, 
And  "  flanked"  the  "  Johnnies,"  to  our  joy, 
Which  did  the  rebels  much  annoy. 

'T  was  here  our  boys  their  fun  began , 
And  round  these  hills  our  army  span  ; 
We  charged  our  guns  each  by  its  man, 
Then  showed  ourselves  ! — but  Johnnies  ran. 

At  Ackworth  and  Resaca,  few 
Their  courage  lines  still  to  renew  ; 
There  on  the  First  Brigade  they  flew, 
But  found  more  work  than  they  could  do. 

For  Hooker  came  around  in  time 
To  form  his  "  regiment"  into  line  ; 
And  with  a  lead  saltpetre  mine, 
Piled  them  up  like  slaughtered  swine. 


The  Thirty -first  Indiana  Regiment. 

Old  Bragg  had  then  just  come  out  west, 
And  said  to  Johnson  :  "  It  is  best ; 
I  speak  the  truth,  it  is  no  jest, 
Go  dig  yourself  another  nest." 

Then  quickly  a  retreat  began, 
Headed  by  that  arch-traitor  man  ; 
A  dust  was  raised  up  as  they  ran, 
Using  their  coat-tails  for  a  fan. 

At  New  Hope  Church  and  Dallas  Hills 
We  gave  them  more  of  "Lincoln's  pills ;" 
And  with  an  aim  that  always  kills, 
To  show  them  we  have  "  powder  drills." 

To  Pine  Mountain  now  they  lope, 
And  there  a  shell  killed  Bishop  Polk ; 
He  thus  escaped  a  knotted  rope, — 
His  fate  to  others  is  my  hope. 

Now  at  Ball  Knob  and  Kenesaw, 
With  picks  and  spades  we  dirt  did  paw ; 
Two  hundred  yards  in  front  we  saw 
The  horrors  of  Jeff.  Davis'  law. 

To  fight  "  Gray  backs"  with  sure  licks, 
I  '11  tell  you  one  of  Sherman's  tricks  : — 
We  in  our  works  drove  sharp  sticks 
To  prod  the  rebels  in  their  quicks. 

There,  "  cannonades  we  flung  all  round," 
That  they  in  rebeldom  might  sound, 
There  many  a  dead  lay  on  the  ground  ; 
A  traitor's  grave  their  souls  have  found. 

Next  they  showed  a  disposition, 
And  to  fall  back  was  their  decision, 
That  they  might  find  a  better  position 
Down  by  their  military  prison. 

Fourth  of  July,  all  wide  awake, 

On  rebel  lines  wre  made  a  break  ; 

I  speak  the  truth,  and  no  mistake,  , 

The  rebels  in  their  boots  did  shake. 

While  cannonades  tore  down  their  fort, 
This  work  to  us  was  truly  sport ; 
And  "  Johnnies  "  to  our  left  did  lurk 
To  see  if  they  could  not  desert. 


Appendix.  221 

The  officers  next  day  could  see 
The  river  called  Ohnttahoochee  ; 
They  saw  Atlanta,  and  drank  their  tea 
To  the  health  of  "  Old  A— B— E." 

It  was  not  long  ere  a  pontoon 
The  river  span,  to  give  us  room, 
To  cross  our  corps,  and  seal  the  doom 
Of  rebel  hearts  where  cannons  boom. 

Now  we  knew  that  all  was  right, 
"Ant-lanta  "  being  close  in  sight ; 
We  knew  our  task  could  not  be  light, 
And  soon  we  had  a  bloody  fight. 

First,  "  Fighting  Jo  "  the  rebs  did  test, 
McPherson  /iext  was  on  our  left, 
And  both  these  armies  came  out  best ; — 
McPherson's  soul  is  now  at  rest. 

Camp-kettles  now  burst  all  around, 
Tearing  the  dirt  up  from  the  ground, 
And  o'er  our  breastworks  they  do  sound, 
As  to  the  Q.  M.'s  rear  they  are  bound. 

The  last  few  days,  close  on  our  right 
Has  been  the  spot  for  us  to  fight ; 
This  we  have  done  with  all  our  mights, 
To  give  graybacks  their  Southern  rights. 

Savannah  ours  now,  all  right ; 

The  Stars  and  Stripes  wave  out  there  bright ; 

If  traitors  think  this  is  not  right, 

Let  them  try  us  another  fight. 


To  be  a  soldier  is  all  right, 
But  to  enlist,  enlist  to  fight, 
Not  "  in  the  rear,"  out  of  sight, 
For  our  expenses  are  not  light. 

But  our  expenses  are  not  all, 

We  must  have  men  at  every  call ; 

The  Stars  and  Stripes  must  float,  not  fall. 

And  Union  live  in  Congress  hall. 

My  three  years  now  are  almost  out, 
And  soon  I  '11  take  a  Northern  route, 
What  are  you  Butternuts  about? 
Your  heads  I  '11  twist  off  by  your  snout. 


222  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

I  wonder  how  the  North  does  stand, 
To  have  such  traitors  in  the  land  ; 
Poison  as  copperheads  in  sand, 
With  stingers  in  their  tongues  and  hands. 

Now  if  you  do  not  like  my  rhyme, 
Enlist,  or  Abe  won  't  give  you  time  ; 
But  conscript  you  into  the  line, 
Where  rebel  balls  will  make  you  whine. 


SUMMAKY   OF   THE   PRINCIPAL  EVENTS 

OF  THE   ATLANTA    (GEORGIA)    CAMPAIGN,  FROM  MAY  1  TO   SEPTEMBER  8, 

1864,   AS  GIVEN   IN   OFFICIAL   RECORDS   OF   THE  WAR   OF 

THE    REBELLION. 

May  1,   1864.     Skirmish  at  Stone  Church. 

2.  Skirmish  at  Lee's  Cross-roads,  near  Tunnel 

Hill. 
Skirmish  at  Ringgold  Gap. 

3.  Skirmish  at  Catoosa  Springs. 
Skirmish  at  Red  Clay. 
Skirmish  at  Chickamauga  Creek. 

4.  Major-General  Frank  P.  Blair,  Jr.,  assumes 

command    of    the    Seventeenth    Army 
Corps. 
Skirmish  at  Varnell's  Station  Road. 

5.  Skirmish  near  Tunnel  Hill. 
6-7.  Skirmishes  at  Tunnel  Hill. 

7.  Skirmish  at  Varnell's  Station. 

Skirmish  near  JSTickajack  Gap. 

8-11,  Demonstration  against  Rocky   Face  Ridge, 

with  combats  at  Buzzard  Roost  or  Mill 
Creek  Gap  and  Dug  Gap. 

8-13.  Demonstration  against  Resaca,  with  combats 

at  Snake  Creek  Gap,  Sugar  Valley,  near 
Resaca. 

9-13.  Demonstration    against   Dalton,    with    com 

bats   near   Varnell's    Station    (9th   and 
12th),  and  at  Dalton  the  13th. 
13.  Skirmish  at  Tilton. 


Appendix.  223 

May  14-15,  1864.    Battle  of  Eesaca. 

15.  Skirmish  at  Armuchee  Creek. 
Skirmish  near  Rome. 

16.  Skirmish  near  Calhoun. 

Action  at  Rome,  or  Parker's  Cross-roads. 
Skirmish  at  Floyd's  Spring. 

17.  Engagement  at  Adairsville. 
Action  at  Rome. 

Affair  at  Madison  Station,  Ala. 

18.  Skirmish  at  Pine  Log  Creek. 
18-19.                Combats  near  Kingston. 

Combats  near  Cassville. 
20.  Skirmish  at  Etowah  River,  near  Cartersville. 

23.  Action  at  Stilesborough. 

24.  Skirmish  at  Cass  Station  and  Cassville. 
Skirmish  at  Burnt  Hickory,  or  Huntsville. 
Skirmish  near  Dallas. 

2 5- June  5.  Operations  on  the  line  of  Pumpkin-vine 
Creek,  with  combats  at  New  Hope 
Church,  Pickett's  Mills,  and  other 
points. 

2  6- June  1.  Combats  at  and  about  Dallas. 

27.  Skirmish  at  Pond  Springs,  Ala. 

29.  Action  at  Moulton,  Ala. 

June    9.  Skirmish  near  Big  Shanty  and  near  Stiles- 

borough. 

10.  Skirmish  at  Calhoun. 

10-July  3.  Operations  about  Marietta,  with  combats  at 
Pine  Hill,  Lost  Mountain,  Brush  Moun 
tain,  Gilgal  Church,  Noonday  Creek, 
McAfee's  Cross-roads,  Kenesaw  Moun 
tain,  Powder  Springs,  Cheney's  Farm, 
Kolb's  Farm,  Alley's  Creek,  Mckajack 
Creek,  Noyes's  Creek,  and  other  points. 

24.  Action  at  LaFayette. 

July     4.  Skirmish  at  Ruff's  Mill,  Neal  Dow  Station, 

and  Rotten-wood  Creek. 


224  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

July  5-17,  1804.      Operations  on  the  line  of  the  Chattahoochee 

River,  with  skirmishes  at  Howell's, 
Turner's,  and  Pace's  Ferries,  Isham's 
Ford,  and  other  points. 

10-22.  Rousseau's  raid  from  Decatur,  Ala.,  to  the 

West  Point  and  Montgomery  Railroad, 
with  skirmishes  near  Coosa  River 
(13th),  near  Greenpoint  and  at  Ten 
Island  Ford  (14th),  near  Auburn  and 
near  Chehaw,  the  18th. 

18.  Skirmish  at  Buck  Head. 

General  John  B.  Hood,  C.  S.  Army,  succeeds 
General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  in  com 
mand  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee. 

19.  Skirmish  on  Peach-tree  Creek. 

20.  Battle  of  Peach-tree  Creek. 

21.  Engagement  at  Bald  or  Liggett's  Hill. 

22.  Battle  of  Atlanta. 

Major-General  John  A.  Logan,  U.  S.  Army, 
succeeds  Major-General  James  B.  Mc- 
Pherson  in  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee. 
22-24.  Garrard's  raid  to  Covington. 

23.  Brigadier-General  Morgan  L.  Smith,  U.  S. 

Army,  in  temporary  command  of  the 
Fifteenth  Army  Corps. 

2 3- Aug.  25.  Operations  about  Atlanta,  including  battle 
of  Ezra  Church  (July  28th),  assault  at 
Utoy  Creek  (Aug.  16th),  and  other 
combats. 

24.  Skirmish  near  Cartersville. 

27.  Major-General    Oliver   O.    Howard,    U.    S. 

Army,  assumes  command  of  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee. 

Major-General  John  A.  Logan,  U.  S.  Army, 
resumes  command  of  the  Fifteenth 
Army  Corps. 


r.  225 

July.  27,  1864.  Major-General  David'  S.  Stanley,  U.  S. 
Army,  succeeds  Major-General  Howard 
in  command  of  the  Fourth  Corps. 
Brigadier-General  Alpheus  S.  Williams  suc 
ceeds  Major-General  Joseph  Hooker  in 
temporary  command  of  Twentieth 
Corps. 

'  27-31.  McCook's  raid  on  the  Atlanta  &  West  Point 

and  Macon  &  Western  Railroads,  with 
skirmishes  near  Campbellton  (28th), 
near  Lovejoy's  Station  (29th),  at  Clear 
Creek  (30th),  and  action  near  New 
man  (30th). 

Garrard's  raid  to  South  River,  with  skir 
mishes  at  Snapfinger  Creek  (27th),  Flat 
Rock  Bridge  and  Lithonia  (28th). 

27-Aug.  6.  Stonenlan's  raid  to  Macon,  with  combats  at 
Macon  and  Clinton  (July  30th),  Hills- 
borough  (July  30th,  31st),  Mulberry 
Creek  and  Jug  Tavern  (Aug.  9th). 

30.  Major-General   Henry    W.    Slocum,    II.    S. 

Army,  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
Twentieth  Army  Corps. 

Aug.  7.  Brigadier-General  Richard  W.   Johnson  in 

temporary  command  of  the  Fourteenth 
Army  Corps,  succeeding  Major-General 
John  M.  Palmer. 

9.  Brevet   Major-General   Jefferson   C.    Davis, 

U.  S.  Army,  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps. 

10-Sept.  9.  Wheeler's  raid  to  North  Georgia  and  East 
Tennessee,  with  combats  at  Dalton 
(Aug.  14th,  15th),  and  other  points. 

15.  Skirmishes  at  Sandtown  and  Fairburn. 

18-22.  Kilpatrick's   raid  from   SandtoAvn  to   Love- 

joy's  Station,  with  combats  at  Camp 
Creek  (18th),  Red  Oak  (19th),  Flint 
River  (19th),  Jonesborough  (19th),  and 

Lovejoy's  Station  (20th). 
15 


226  The  Thirty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

Aug.  22,  18tU.  Brevet  Major-General  Jefferson  C.  Davis 
assumes  command  of  the  Fourteenth 
Army  Corps. 

26-Sept.  1.  Operations  at  the  Chattahoochee  Kailroad 
brid'ge,  and  at  Pace's  and  Turner's  Fer 
ries,  with  skirmishes. 

27.  Major-General   Henry    W.    Slocum,    U.    S. 

Army,  assumes  command  of  the  Twen 
tieth  Army  Corps. 

29.  Skirmishes  near  Red  Oak. 

30.  Skirmishes  near  East  Point. 
Action  at  Flint  River  Bridge. 

31.  Skirmish  near  Rough  and  Ready  Station. 
31-Sept.   1.  Battle  of  Jonesborough. 

Sept.  2.  Union  occupation  of  Atlanta. 

2-5.  Actions  at  Love  joy's  Station. 

6.  The    campaign     was    officially    announced 

closed,  and  orders  were  given  for  the 
army  to  move  to  Atlanta. 

8.  The  Fourth  Army  Corps  reached  Atlanta, 

and  went  into  camp. 


,5 


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